Syd Pickerell spent his work life in agriculture, focused on farm animals and feeds. The retired agrologist, instead of putting his feet up and relaxing, now spends his days surrounded by the artifacts of agriculture as one of the many devoted volunteers of the BC Farm Museum. “You need to develop the story to go with the item… It’s not just the item itself, but it’s a story of how it fit into life in the early days,” he commented. “…It makes it more interesting
for people.” The museum, home to 6,500 artifacts as well as a library of 11,000 items that includes a wide array of agricultural books, machinery and parts manuals, pamphlets, newspapers, periodicals, catalogues and more, is seeking to expand, by adding a $9-million building to its existing two-building compound in Fort Langley. That would allow the museum to be able to continue the work of preserving local history so more items in storage – as well as the artifacts it will receive in the future –will
have space to be properly restored and displayed. In one of the rooms devoted to sewing and fabrics, there’s some unusual new machines that have been donated. The complex devices are sock-making machines that the museum would like to reassemble and demonstrate for the public. They date from the First World War. The museum, a non-profit organization, has changed over time. A focus on farm equipment has grown to be a place to learn about pioneering living so there’s artifacts from all aspects of life
– farming, laundry, cooking, animal husbandry, and much more. “I see a transition in our collection,” Pickerell said. And that has a wider appeal for people because it’s how they lived then.” Another key change has been how the facility has become much more interactive. It started with a rope making machine. “We brought it up and we started making rope for kids. And it’s very popular,” Pickerell said. The demonstrations allow visitors to try their hand at activities that were vital in decades past.
Now there’s demonstration – typically on special days such as Canada Day – of egg grading, tomato sorting, butter making, and more, all with the period artifacts. “We are always thinking about what we can do to get people involved,” he noted. The museum has gone from being a repository of the past to a place where people are educated about agriculture, as many people no longer have a direct connection with where their food and other resources come from. “This is really important… to
really bridge that gap between how food is produced and the food that they’re eating at the table,” Pickerell said. People who have not visited the museum, on King Street in Fort Langley, may still have seen the work of the volunteers. Restored tractors are used in community celebrations, such as the May Day Parade in Fort Langley and Aldergrove Fair Days each July. There are also several pieces now on permanent display at Stable Harvest Farm near the Langley Regional Airport – a non-profit
farm devoted to teaching about agriculture. The BC Farm Museum is open April through September with some special tours and events during the off-season, including Family Day in February. The farm museum hits a milestone this year, turning 60. The start traces back to 1953 when a walking hand plow made around 1900 was donated to the University of British Columbia. A professor there had been contemplating assembling early farm equipment to demonstrate to agricultural engineering students how technology has changed. While the original plan
was to have a museum on university endowment lands, the association formed to create a museum (chartered in 1958), decided to put the site in Fort Langley, buying property. Support came from several levels of government and groups in the agricultural sector. After a June 1966 sod turning, the 8,000-square-foot museum was constructed to include display space as well as a workshop for repair and restoration. It officially opened on Nov. 19, 1966 (Douglas Day). Soon after, a 10,000-square-foot building was constructed to house the
growing collection. Since 1990, the museum has been operated by only volunteers. Pickerell, at 88, is part of that cadre of people who keep the museum doors open. There are about 140 members with a core group of about 40 who are there welcoming guests, sharing information, updating displays, and restoring items. And yes, most are on the older side, but Pickerell is confident that as Baby Boomers retire, more of them will come forward to volunteer at the farm museum. He noted that volunteers
do not have to have agricultural knowledge nor experience, just an interest in learning and sharing history. “And volunteering has a lot going for it,” he noted.
BC Farm Museum, Fort Langley, Syd Pickerell, 60th anniversary, $9-million building, volunteers, agricultural history, First World War sock-making machines, King Street