The Craigdarroch Castle Historical Museum Society Annual General Meeting will be held on Tuesday, June 25th 2013 at 6:00 pm
at Craigdarroch Castle – 1050 Joan Crescent, Victoria BC

Agenda

Call to order
Speaker – John Hughes, Executive Director
Looking to the Future – Stone conservation and presentation at Craigdarroch
Approval of Minutes of the 2011 Annual General Meeting
President’s Report
Treasurer’s Report
Executive Director’s Report
Nominating Committee Report/Election of Directors
Vote on amending By-Law 3 of the Society’s Constitution
New Business – Approval ‘in principle’ of the minutes of this meeting
Adjournment
Light refreshments will be served in the dining room after the meeting. Please join us!
RSVP – 250.592.5323 ext. 34 or info@thecastle.ca

These plans are needed to help The Castle Society conserve and present the Castle. The original purpose of some rooms in the Castle remains a mystery. Furthermore, renovations undertaken in 1919 were so extensive, that evidence of original room configurations, built-in furniture, and the associated service fixtures has been lost. This problem is particularly evident in the old kitchen and pantry areas. The Society desperately wants to recreate these rooms in the museum.

 
A lengthy article has been written about the search for the Castle plans that is now available on The Castle Society’s website in PDF format.  We hope that by making the article widely available to people over the Internet, it will reach a larger audience than just those who read the Society’s paper newsletter.

 
The article explains where people have looked for the plans so far.  It briefly touches on the work of architect Warren H. Williams of Portland, Oregon and directs readers to the principle sources for information on Williams. Importantly, it also explores the life of Craigdarroch’s other architect, Arthur L. Smith, a native of St. Louis, Missouri.  Various published sources have referred to him as a mystery, or have simply stated that nothing is known about him.  Thanks to members of his family and numerous supportive architectural historians, museum, university and historic site archivists, some of Smith’s remarkable professional story has been revealed for the first time.

To read the article, click here.

Let’s start with the exterior and the much needed masonry work.

At 123 years of age, the Castle is feeling the effects of the elements and the façades shows that.  Last year we hired a conservation architect to provide an extensive review of the exterior masonry conditions. Our own staff worked alongside a local engineering firm to assess the structural integrity of the second floor veranda and that information, combined with a petrographic analysis of the sandstone itself, was shared with the conservation architect. The report we received from DFS Architecture and Design in March of this year is very detailed and contains numerous recommendations and approaches for dealing with the building’s problems.

This summer we will begin phase one of a multi-year project by focusing attention on areas identified as urgent in the report. Crews will begin working on the south side second floor verandah shortly and the job will run through the summer. The first part of the project will require the original concrete surface be removed. This is likely to be a noisy part of the exercise but shouldn’t take too long.

Once that has been done,  new concrete surface will be poured and a new waterproof membrane applied. The final surface colour will be similar to the original concrete and should blend in nicely with the building. In conjunction with the resurfacing we will also be repairing 3 fractured lintels  – one over the verandah and  two over windows. We will also install replica collector heads, replacement rainwater leaders, and new copper gutter linings. It’s a complicated project and we’ll be sure to update you as progress is made.

Moving on to the presentation plans for Craigdarroch.

Over the last 12 months the Conservation Committee met to determine the feasibility of developing a Visitor Centre as part of a comprehensive presentation plan. The idea of a Visitor Center has been around for many years, and the Society purchased the property at 1041 Craigdarroch Road with an eye to developing it as such. After preliminary designs for 1041 Craigdarroch were reviewed, the building at 1070 Joan Crescent became available and was purchased to provide a better location for our needs. The Society has since maintained both buildings as rental units while further thought was given to the viability of a new structure.

The Conservation Committee presently includes staff members as well as directors with skills covering heritage conservation, architecture, engineering and construction. We felt that in order to determine whether a visitor centre was even needed we really should review the early presentation plan developed between the years 2000 and 2003. The group took a room-by-room tour to better understand what portions of that document had been completed and what still needed to be done. By reviewing the plan in that way, the committee was able to gain a better understanding of how all the rooms and spaces might fit into our long-term vision for the site. That is to say: were they to be left as is, reinterpreted, or used for additional tour content?

It’s clear that a lot of progress has been made and many of that document’s recommendations have already been implemented. We agree that the Castle, being our primary artifact, is the most appropriate place to tell the stories of Craigdarroch. We feel that the proposed relocation of offices, lunchroom, museum store, and workshop is necessary to allow the remaining portions of our presentation plan to be implemented, and that by removing these operational areas from within the house we will not only free up space for better use and visitor experience, but will also ease the physical strain on the Castle itself. I’m pleased to say we now have a revised plan to guide us into the future.

As you can see from this brief overview we’ve identified many interesting and important projects for us to complete. If we are to conserve the Castle, engage our visitors, and generate more revenue for the Society’s ongoing initiatives we must tackle these challenges in a comprehensive way. The efforts to consolidate our goals into a concise strategic plan will continue over the next six months and we intend to make the completed document available to the public as soon as it is approved.

Stay tuned for more details and please contact me if you have any questions about these projects. It’s going to be busy year around the castle!

John Hughes, Executive Director

This January, Danielle MacKenzie moved into the position of Artifact Registrar, replacing Jeanne Gaboury, who has embarked upon new adventures in Winnipeg. Danielle began at Craigdarroch Castle in February 2011 and has served a variety of administrative and visitor services duties in her position as Senior Historic House Museum Worker. As Registrar, she is charged with the care, conservation and documentation of the Museum’s 7,000+ artifacts.
Danielle holds a degree in Anthropology, with a specialization in Museum Studies, from the University of British Columbia and has a variety of experience in other BC museums and cultural organizations, including roles at the Museum of Anthropology and the Sampson V Maritime Museum. Danielle is very excited to be taking on the new challenges caring for the Castle’s collection and its documentation.
“Danielle’s museum education at the University of British Columbia and her experience at that institution’s Museum of Anthropology made her an ideal candidate for Registrar,” explains Curator Bruce Davies. “The Castle Society is fortunate to have her working with the museum’s collection.”
Trevor Woodland was promoted to the position of Senior Historic House Museum Worker, replacing Danielle MacKenzie who now serves as Registrar. Originally from Black Creek, Mr. Woodland began as a volunteer at Craigdarroch before moving into the casual position of Historic House Museum Worker.
Receiving his BA in Canadian History from Vancouver Island University in Nanaimo, Trevor is currently enrolled in the Cultural Resource Management program offered at UVic. The program, specializing in museum operations, artifact preservation and heritage ethics, requires Mr. Woodland to use Craigdarroch Castle as a host institution in order to practically apply his studies in real world scenarios.
We are pleased to welcome the latest in our talented slate of museum workers, Erika Robertson. A native of Sequim, WA (just across the Strait of Juan de Fuca) Erika has just received her BA from UBC with a Honours History Major and German Minor. She already has a wealth of museum experience under her belt with positions at the White Rock Museum & Archives, the Museum of Anthropology (where she worked with Dana Gage) and at the Beaty Biodiversity Museum.
In addition to her work history, Erika volunteered as the Assistant Editor of the Atlas Undergraduate Journal of History, and she has event coordination experience at the Satellite Gallery. We are excited (and lucky) to have her, so please welcome her to the team!
Nicole Greenhalgh has shifted roles at the Castle once again to fill the newly created Receptionist position. Reporting to Barb, John and Elisabeth, Nicole will be filling a variety of needs in this new role. From answering phones and maintaining our database to helping with the weekly cash reconciliations, this new position covers a diverse spectrum of administrative, customer service and coordination activities. Nicole holds a Bachelor of Arts with a major in Anthropology with a focus in Archaeology and a minor in Greek and Roman Studies. When not at work she can be found going for runs/walks/hikes at various locales around the Island, taking pictures, and currently: planning her wedding! Many of you already know Nicole since she has been working at Craigdarroch for the last 4 years.

The penciled signature was difficult to read at first – it was upside down and I was hunched over in the deepest, darkest corner of the crawlspace straddling awkwardly teetering mounds of rusted sheet metal – but it was definitely there:  J. Peart, St. Catharines, Ont. Cool!

So just who was J. Peart, and how did his signature come to be on the inside of some of the original Craigdarroch metalwork?

As usual, directory searches can be somewhat challenging especially when it comes to names spellings: “Peart” can show up as Peart, Pearl, or Pearce depending on the year and/or enumerator. However, with some continuity established, it looks like our target suspect was a John Peart who first appears in the Victoria directory in 1890. Occupation is “tinsmith”, and his employer is S. L. Kelly & Co.

Typical of many Victoria trades during the late 1880’s, business seemed to be booming and S. L. Kelly & Co was no exception. They boasted their highest employee roster during the years 1889 – 1890 with as many as five tin or coppersmiths, a bookkeeper, and a salesman. All in addition to the boss, Mr. Samuel Leon Kelly, himself a seasoned smith.

In fact, Samuel Kelly had set up his first shop in Victoria (on lower Yates Street between Waddington and Oriental Alleys) in 1863. He was a purveyor of iron, stoves, and tinware, but of the three it was the tinsmithing that would stay with him his entire life.

John Peart remained under the Kelly employ through 1891 and then disappears from the local directory lists. Off to greener pastures perhaps, or back to Ontario? An 1891 listing states an additional occupation as “plumber” and there was a “John Peart and Son” plumbing enterprise in St. Catharines that carried on well into the 1970’s. Connection maybe, don’t know yet.

S. L. Kelly & Co would slog it out until the end though. Along the way there would be an interest and shared business venue with the British Columbia Ice Company (are we smelling the beginnings of “HVAC” here? Stoves = Heating, Tinsmithing = Ventilating ducts, Ice = Cooling?). By 1892 the tinsmithing side of the venture was back down to only three employees, and over the next two years one of those, John Orr, would try to make a go of his own stove and tinsmith business on lower Store Street. It lasted for nearly ten years, but by 1903 he as well was no longer listed in Victoria directories.

Samuel Leon finally hung up his hammer and in 1902 listed himself as “retired”. He was living, along with his son Samuel Benjamin (still a tinner), at the home of Gildo Kelly, printer, on Superior Street.

Samuel Sr. died in 1909 at 87 years of age. Samuel Jr. moved to Vancouver, presumably to be with younger brother Alex, who had stuck with the ice business. And of our Mr. J. Peart from St. Catharines, well, I still don’t know what happened to him yet. But he put his hand to some beautiful sheet metal for Craigdarroch, and his signature is still going strong.

Research and photos by Frank Tosczak, Restoration Manager at Craigdarroch Castle

UPDATE: December 6, 2012

Since posting this article, we’ve had contact with John Peart’s family members. This has proven very fortuitous as we now have a photo from 1887 of employees outside S. L. Kelly & Co., John’s employer in Victoria.

Many thanks to LeRoy McFarlane for this photo and the one of John Peart and his dog “Pete” at the family’s store in St. Catharines Ontario!

Wanted: Information leading to the restoration and interpretation of Craigdarroch Castle and surrounding grounds.

Please go to this page for information on how you might help us

Victoria, BC, Canada – Craigdarroch Castle Historical Museum Society has completed a new documentary film about The Castle and its history. Directed and produced by Castle Society Board Member Robin Adair, Victoria’s Castle will premiere at The Vic Theatre to an invitation-only audience on Friday May 4th which will include local officials, patrons and supporters of Craigdarroch Castle.

The vision for the film is to tell the history of Craigdarroch, while setting it in the context of Victoria’s local and regional history. Framing the immigration of the Dunsmuirs to Vancouver Island from Scotland, the developments that led up to the Castle’s construction and the subsequent events that shaped its many uses will help tell a more complete story about not only Craigdarroch, but the city of Victoria itself.

Coinciding with the city’s 150th anniversary and the diamond jubilee of Queen Elizabeth, the release of this documentary is timely in highlighting the relevance of the Craigdarroch Castle Historical Museum Society. With no dedicated civic museum in Victoria, the film will address a small portion of that need and provide valuable insights into the important role The Castle Society plays in preserving and sharing our local history.

“We are extremely pleased to have completed this project in 2012,” explains Executive Director John Hughes. “The documentary film is an incredibly powerful and effective medium for communicating. It can convey a story in a memorable and expedient manner. Additionally, the format will allow us to share the experience of Craigdarroch to new audiences, such as those who are not physically able to tour the Castle, or even bring the film to students directly in the classroom.”

For the general public, combination self-guided tours of the Castle and screenings of the documentary will begin on Friday, May 18th at Craigdarroch Castle. Doors open at 6:15pm and the film begins at 7. A special Victoria Day weekend screening is also scheduled for the evening of Sunday, May 20th. Admission is free for members and the cost for the general public is regular admission plus $5.00.

Additional tour & screenings are scheduled for Friday evenings on: May 18th and 25th, June 1st and 8th.

Contact: Elisabeth Hazell Manager of Operations and Development (250) 592-5323 x32 1050 Joan Crescent Victoria, BC, Canada ehazell@thecastle.ca

Daily weather forecasts for Victoria and Southern British Columbia first began on November 1, 1898 under the direction of meteorologist Edmund Baynes Reed who was joined later by assistant observer and forecaster Francis Napier Denison. They were also responsible for taking readings of the recently installed Milne seismograph, the first seismograph in British Columbia and one of the first routinely operated instruments of its kind in the world.

Baynes Reed died in 1916, and Francis Napier Denison took over as Director of the newly constructed Gonzales Hill Meteorological Observatory of which he had played a prominent role in designing. Numerous papers and articles on weather patterns and seismic observations were published by Denison to scientific journals and societies throughout North America and the UK. His reports of earthquake activity not only included epicentre and magnitude, but often exceeded similar reports provided by US counterparts where there was limited continuity or interest. Similarly, the marine warnings and weather forecasts Denison issued for the west coast were regarded with more favour as they were tailored to the Puget Sound area whereas the US forecasts for Washington State were generated in San Francisco.

In his 1923-24 annual report to the Meterological Service, Denison writes in part:

“From the first of July, 1923, a special weather summary and general forecast of the winds is sent out, …broadcasted to the ships within a radius of 3000 miles, and in some cases ships have reported receiving these messages at much greater distances, and appreciated knowledge of weather conditions both on the coast from Alaska to California, and also the positions and movements of some of the great Pacific storms are given westward to the 150th Meridian.

“Time is also sent out….. to shipping within a 3000 mile radius.”

“During the past year the Milne-Shaw seismographs have been in continuous operation and have given very satisfactory results. The total number of earthquakes recorded was 226… “

In 1936, after three postponements, Denison was finally allowed to retire after 37 years of service. He had not taken a statutory holiday in 21 years.

Forever the scientist, he appealed to the Board of School Trustees for a small amount of space, regardless of heat or light, in Victoria College to carry on his life’s work. In a letter dated May 6, 1938 from “Craigmyle” where he was boarding, he thanks them for their consideration:

Dear Prof. Cunningham,
Replying to your letter of April 30th, I am very pleased to learn that Principal Elliot and your Department will allow me the use of the small room in the basement of your college, and the key for the main door if required.
I have moved the seismograph into the new room under the stairs and find it will suit my purpose perfectly.
Thanking you for your kind service respecting the above,
I am sincerely yours,
F. Napier Denison.

Francis continued with his seismic research and weather observations at Craigdarroch using instruments he had either taken on loan from the Victoria Fire Department or built and erected himself at his own cost.

In a letter of October 1940, this time from the Stadacona Hotel, he sadly concedes that failing health will not allow him to continue and he graciously relinquishes his key and instruments to the College. He also encloses a copy of his last paper “Further Notes on Certain Horizontal Pendulum Movements” which was dated 1938 from the Victoria College address and published in the 1940 Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America.

Citizens of Victoria would lament the passing of “their weatherman” whose dedication to the service still provided competitive local forecasts from his hotel suite for several years even after his retirement. His “courtly, old-world manner” made him a most gracious host at the Observatory, and it was said that his clear and deep thinking, so often associated with the inventive mind, could easily describe in a few short, understandable phrases, any matter pertaining to his research.

As wrote the Seattle Post-Intelligencer of Francis Napier Denison:

“…(he) had something on the ball”.

Article by F. Tosczak, Restoration Manager, Craigdarroch Castle

For more great stories about Victoria’s past please visit the City of Victoria Website

Listed below are a couple of this season’s performances:

New this Year – A Christmas Carol Christmas-at-Craigdarroch

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, adapted as a one-man play by Jason Stevens. His performance has been described as “perfect” by the Oak Bay News. Barry Bowman, well-known Victoria radio personality enthuses “To have this kind of talent, someone who can do this without lights, without props, is incredible.” Tickets $20 adults or $15 students. (Not designed for under ages 13.)

Members – $2.00 off. Reservations Required.

Family nights

Fun for the whole family when you join Kate the Parlor Maid or Christopher the Butler as they take you on a guided tour of the Castle. Find out about Victorian Christmas tradition, see a mummers play in the dance hall then enjoy cider and cookies served from the pantry after the tour. Reservations Required.

Craigdarroch Castle online pumpkin carving contest.

Carve your pumpkin inspired by Craigdarroch Castle and post your photos on our Facebook Page for a chance to win!

Prizes will be awarded for the following categories:

Most Creative:  Come up with the most surprising interpretation of a Craigdarroch pumpkin!

Technical Execution:  Show off your carving skills with detail and precision!

People’s Choice:  Generate the most “likes” of your photo for this prize!

Prizes include:

Family Membership (free admission plus discounts for special events and gift shop purchases for up to 4 people for one year:  value $75)

2 free passes plus a $50 gift certificate to the Museum Gift Shop (value $75)

One Individual yearly Membership plus 2 Tickets to see “A Christmas Carol” at Craigdarroch in December (value $75)

The contest begins today and continues until Monday, October 31^st.  Winners will be announced on November 1^st.

 Find us on Facebook at:  www.facebook.com/craigdarrochcastle

It’s been 11 years since Giggling Iguana Productions first started their site specific Halloween offerings at Craigdarroch Castle. In the past decade, audiences have seen the horrors of “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”, been assaulted by Martians in “The War of the Worlds”, met a young man who thought “I Might be Edgar Allen Poe”, and gazed upon “The Picture of Dorian Gray.” Each year audiences have experienced a unique site-specific production
using the magnificent interiors and grounds of Craigdarroch as the setting for these tales of mystery, horror and imagination.

This year, Giggling Iguana’s Ian Case will re-mount his adaptation of Edgar Allen Poe’s crumbling “House of Usher”. Renowned for his site-specific productions, Ian has a singular talent for exploiting the castle’s unique ambiance to perfect effect and audiences will not be disappointed. Scenes take place throughout the Castle and visitors
move from room to room as the plot progresses during the evening.

Thanks for your support! Tickets are Sold Out.