Location | 6501 Deer Lake Avenue, Deer Lake Park, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada |
---|---|
Coordinates | 49°14′21″N 122°57′58″W / 49.2391°N 122.9661°W |
Type | open-air museum |
Website | http://www.burnabyvillagemuseum.ca |
The Burnaby Village Museum, previously known as the Heritage Village, is an open-air museum in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada, located at Deer Lake Park. It is a reconstructed 1920s village, containing 31 full scale buildings; its costumed staff demonstrate traditional trades. The museum spans 10 acres (4 ha) of land. Some of the buildings are original heritage buildings, moved from other locations in the community and restored. Others are replica buildings, created to house specific displays and artifacts, including a 1912 B.C. Electric Railway interurban tram. The Museum is also known for the 1912 C. W. Parker Carousel, available for visitors to ride.
Founded in 1971, the Museum was originally known as the Heritage Village. It has grown from a 4.3-acre (1.7 ha) site with a small number of displays, to a 10-acre (4 ha) heritage site and major attraction in Metro Vancouver.
On November 19, 1971 the official opening of the museum took place, officiated by Roland Michener, then Governor General of Canada. Over 15,000 visitors attended the museum during its special three-day opening. It opened for its first season in 1972, and included several shops located in replica buildings on the main street, and the “manor house” (the 1922 home of the Bateman family, today known as Elworth). Livestock was part of the display, including horses who were shod in the blacksmith shop. An early promotional brochure promised visitors they would be able to “smell the burning hoof.”
In 1975, the B.C. Society of Model Engineers opened a model railway at the Village. The same year, a Chinese Herbalist display was opened, and a 1911 bachelor’s house built by Burnaby resident Tom Irvine was moved to the site.
In 1976, the Royal Bank building from Britannia Beach was moved to the Village, as well as a 1927 Burnaby heritage building set up as a real estate and surveyor’s office. In partnership with the Japanese-Canadian Citizens Association, an ofuru (Japanese bathhouse) display was opened at the Village in 1977. The replica ofuru was built to commemorate the arrival in B.C. of the first Japanese immigrant in 1877. The Vorce B.C. Electric railway station was also acquired in 1977.