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Victoria Hill has been hired as the new Executive Director at Revelstoke Railway Museum.
Born and raised in Rosslyn Village in the District of Thunder Bay, surrounded by the history of the fur trade and the development of the railway and great lakes shipping, Victoria was exposed to significant aspects of Canadian history growing up. She started her educational journey at the University of Lethbridge completing a Bachelors of Arts degree majoring in History. She also has an M.A. in Heritage Contemporary Practice from the University of Kingston London, and an M.A. in The Country House: Art, History and Literature from the University of Leicester.
Victoria has worked at the Founder's Museum and Pioneer Village, and worked with Historic Royal Palaces and Royal Museums Greenwich while completing her M.A. Victoria has also worked at Fort William Historical Park in Thunder Bay where she was the Lead Interpretive Support Worker where she delivered educational programming and interpreted the fur trade. She took a year out of this position to work for Walt Disney World as a cultural representative in the Epcot Canada Pavilion.
Prior to completing her second M.A., Victoria completed the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route.
Most recently Victoria worked for the Oliver Paipoonge Heritage Park as the Assistant Curator managing the front of house operations and curatorial needs of the museum. Victoria joined the Revelstoke Railway Museum at the end of February 2025.
The School Room: Reshaping Collections Artist Series - Episode 3
A second-generation settler of Chinese heritage, Janet Wang is a Vancouver-based visual artist and educator working within a traditional painting practice, integrated with sculptural installation practices and digital media. Her creations explore the construction of identity through the appropriation and disruption of social patterns and familiar gestures. Wang pays homage to the canons and traditions of history, both the artistic and the quotidian, in order to use the familiar as a meeting point with the viewer. She has exhibited her work throughout Canada and internationally.
On this episode, learn about Janet’s "Here, There," a new installation on display at the Chinese Canadian Museum in the "Reshaping Collections: Where History Meets Art" exhibition.
Watch here.
A wheelchair-size elevator, servicing the building's Boyle Avenue parking lot and all the way up to the museum's second floor, has been operational for about a month. It offers a north-facing view of the neighbourhood and mountains, and can accommodate two people standing or one person with a larger mobility device.
The elevator is a major step forward — or lift up, rather — for the 1926-constructed heritage building, and something museum curator Cathy English has been talking about installing for as long as 15 years.
Read the full article here.
Dr. Stephen Davies of Vancouver Island University describes and illustrates the extraordinary Canadian Letters and Images Project – a heartrending collection of letters home from WWI soldiers describing their hopes, fears, injuries and their longing to be with their families. Anyone who has ever seen or read a war story needs this to complement their understanding of life as soldiers lived it.
Watch the full video here.
A Community Heritage Register is a heritage planning tool to potentially save historic buildings, parks, and totem poles from development that could alter or delete the past of a town or city. In Smithers, two buildings currently have Heritage designation: The Central Park Building, which is home to the Smithers Art Gallery, the Bulkley Valley Museum, and numerous artist studios. It was built in 1925 and received heritage designation in 1981. The other is Smithers Canadian National Railway Station at the end of Main Street, which was built in 1919.
Kira Westby, the Bulkley Valley Museum Director has been working for nearly seven years on a project to identify other locations in Smithers which might benefit from being included on a Community Heritage Register. A Community Heritage Register is enacted by local government, unlike Heritage Status, which is federally bestowed.
Smithers community members can nominate properties now using this online form.
The British Columbia Historical Federation’s quarterly magazine chronicles British Columbia’s unique story through the words and images of community writers, public and academic historians, story keepers, and more.
Featuring some of the contributing authors of this newest issue themed on Chinatowns and moderated by Aimee Greenaway, managing editor of the BC History Magazine, this panel discussion explores different facets of the vibrant histories of Chinatowns across the province.
Speakers:
From the Vancouver Historical Society:
"Paradise? Picture this: a bid red interurban tram drifting through Richmond in the 1950s, making its way from downtown Vancouver to Stevenston via Marpole. Can you imagine at time when this system was the backbone of transportation?
So how did we let go of something so essential? Fast forward to today, and we're now spending billions to bring it back!
Join us as we explore this fascinating part of Vancouver's history at the Vancouver Historical Society's Incorporation Day Luncheon.
Date: April 6th
Location: Quilchena Gold Club
What's Included: A delicious buffet lunch, displays about BC Electric Railway (BCER), and a presentation by special guest Henry Ewart, author of The Story of the BC Electric Railway."
Seats are limited, purchase your ticket here.
March 3, 2025, Ottawa, Ontario — The Canadian Museums Association (CMA) was proud to recognize the outstanding contributions of museum professionals across Canada during a special ceremony in Victoria, BC on February 19, 2025. 14 recipients were presented with the prestigious King Charles III Coronation Medal by CMA’s Executive Director & CEO, Janis Bomberry at a reception at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria.
Click here to view the list of recipients, including several British Columbia-based heritage professionals who have made significant contributions to the field.
The Chemainus Valley Historical Society is planning to examine the historical experience of Japanese Canadians living in the community.
In a letter to North Cowichan, society president Ron Waller said a special exhibit on the subject is being planned at the Chemainus Valley Museum from late July to early October, 2026.
He said the exhibit is intended to coincide with plans initiated by the Japanese Canadian Legacies Society and the Festival of Murals Society to install a heritage mural commemorating the Japanese community in Chemainus, which was once prosperous and plentiful, on municipally owned land on Croft Street, just below Water Wheel Park, in August, 2026.
Three-year-old Goldie Gustard got to savour the apple-pie flavour of success after entering a $4,000 winning bid in the Best of the Shuswap Pie Baking Contest and live pie auction.
A local B.C. Heritage Week tradition hosted by and in support of R.J. Haney Heritage Village and Museum, this year's pie baking contest (for apple, fruit or berry pies), held at the Mall at Piccadilly on Saturday, Feb. 22, drew fierce competition with wide variety of mouth-watering creations to challenge the palates of participating judges. In the end, Bonnie Peterson once again took the red first-place ribbon, her ninth, this time for a tart cherry pie. Coming in second was Norma Harish for a Pink Lady apple pie. The third-place ribbon was won by Kate Korda for her Fresh B.C. apple pie.
The competitive spirit grew more intense during the live pie auction, with 17 pies on the block for the Haney fundraiser. A couple of local kids wound up getting involved in the auction action including Goldie who, with father Glen (the two representing Tech-Crete Processors), wound up in a bidding war with developer Bill Laird over a classic apple pie made by Missy Blair. Goldie's persistence and a $4,000 bid brought an end to the philanthropic battle, which had been entertaining for all involved.
British Columbia Historical FederationPO Box 448, Fort Langley, BC, Canada, V1M 2R7Information: info@bchistory.ca
The Secretariat of the BCHF is located on the unceded territories of the Coast Salish speaking Peoples.
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