Summerland Museum & Archives Society

Summerland Museum & Archives Society Collecting, sharing, and celebrating the history of beautiful Summerland, BC!

Happy Father's Day to all the wonderful dads, stepdads, granddads, father figures, and role models out there. We hope yo...
06/21/2026

Happy Father's Day to all the wonderful dads, stepdads, granddads, father figures, and role models out there. We hope you have a wonderful day!

Photograph of Mr Luke Tisdale and his son, Arthur Tisdale (the father and brother of Agnes Thornber) c. mid-1880s

Summerland's Rotary Sunday Market starts for the summer TODAY! See you there!
06/21/2026

Summerland's Rotary Sunday Market starts for the summer TODAY! See you there!

"Hi! My name is Evan Teo and I’m the Summer Programming Assistant for 2026! I’m a fourth year student at UVIC studying N...
06/20/2026

"Hi! My name is Evan Teo and I’m the Summer Programming Assistant for 2026! I’m a fourth year student at UVIC studying Neurobiology. I was born and raised in Summerland and my maternal family immigrated here from Italy in 1957. I’ve always been interested in history, especially fiber arts and textiles, as well as the history of biological sciences. In my free time I love to knit and do other crafts, as well as spend time playing with my dog Tina. This summer I will be organizing pop-up events around town for the Museum as well as a few drop-in activities for children at the Museum, and running our booth at the Sunday Markets. I’ve also had the pleasure of assisting with the new insect display! I hope that this summer will allow me to have a deeper understanding of our town’s rich history. I also look forward to meeting many of you at our market stall, pop-ups, drop-ins, and regular Museum hours! See you there!"- Evan

Thank you to the Government of Canada and the Community Foundation of the South Okanagan Similkameen for funding this work position.

Just in time for National Indigenous Peoples Day tomorrow (Sunday, June 21), our Syilx exhibit received some TLC with ne...
06/20/2026

Just in time for National Indigenous Peoples Day tomorrow (Sunday, June 21), our Syilx exhibit received some TLC with new paint and signs. We hope that the new colour, inspired by the tones in the baskets, will help draw visitors in to this important display. We also have a selection of resource books available for those who want to take their learning further.

Stop in today to see the refreshed exhibit or during our regular hours, Tuesday to Saturday, 10am - 4pm. While the museum won't be open tomorrow, you can find our summer student and volunteers at the Rotary Sunday Market on Main Street, Summerland, from 9am to 1pm. Please stop by our booth to ask questions or just chat about history!

We're so excited for the first Summerland Rotary Sunday Market of the year THIS SUNDAY! Come and visit our stall to say ...
06/19/2026

We're so excited for the first Summerland Rotary Sunday Market of the year THIS SUNDAY! Come and visit our stall to say hi and browse our merchandise. You can find us on Main St. between 9am and 1pm every Sunday from this weekend until September.

Summer is here!!! 🌞🌞🌞

Summerland's Grade 12 students will graduate from high school this weekend. The annual Grad Parade and prom take place o...
06/18/2026

Summerland's Grade 12 students will graduate from high school this weekend. The annual Grad Parade and prom take place on Saturday afternoon, followed by the graduation ceremony on Monday. It seemed fitting, therefore, for today's Throwback Thursday to take a look back at a past graduation ceremony.

No prizes for guessing which decade this graduation took place in! Those fabulous hairstyles just scream the 1960s! More specifically, this was the class of 1968.

The first photo shows the recipient of the Verrier Award, Sharon May, sitting between classmates Judith Miles and Heather MacArthur. The second photo, taken from a different angle, shows some more of the grads; (left to right) Shelvey Erickson, Jannette Jacques, Lillian Tucker, possibly Connie Roberge, Judith Miles, Sharon May (with her trophy), Heather Macarther, and possibly Sandi Stein.

The Verrier Award is considered the most prestigious honour at Summerland Secondary School. First presented in 1941, it celebrates the top overall graduating student based on a combination of academic excellence, extracurricular involvement, and community spirit. The award was established in memory of Robert 'Bob' Verrier, who was tragically killed in a hunting accident during the Christmas holidays of his Grade 11 year. Prior to his death, Bob was highly regarded among his fellow students. He was a member of the Student Council, captain of the football team, and an active participant in basketball and track and field. Today, the Verrier Trophy remains the final award presented at the school's graduation ceremony.

While the graduation ceremony is reserved for friends and family of the graduates, Summerlanders can show their support for the next generation by cheering on the Grad Parade! Starting at 4pm on Saturday, the parade goes right through the town centre. We encourage you all to come out and see this year's grads in their finery - there's bound to be big hair and corsages to rival those in these photos!

Have a wonderful weekend, Grads, and all the best for your future plans!

We're looking forward to welcoming telegraph expert, Tim Taylor, to the Museum next Wednesday. He will be talking to us ...
06/18/2026

We're looking forward to welcoming telegraph expert, Tim Taylor, to the Museum next Wednesday. He will be talking to us about the far-reaching impact that the development of the telegraph had on local communities, then demonstrating how the telegraph works on our fully functioning telegraph machine. You can even try your hand at Morse Code and send a message to other museums across BC and Alberta!

Seating is limited, so make sure you arrive early to guarantee a seat!

In honour of our newly refurbished Herbert Simpson Insect Collection, this week's What-is-it-Wednesday is one of the spe...
06/17/2026

In honour of our newly refurbished Herbert Simpson Insect Collection, this week's What-is-it-Wednesday is one of the specimens now on display! This one will bug you, for sure 😉! Do you know what this little guy is? If you recognise him, or would like to take a guess, please leave your answer in the comments below. As always, we'll reveal the correct answer next Wednesday.

Well done to those of you who correctly identified last week's mystery artifact as a push drill, also known as a twist drill or Yankee Drill. This simple design worked by pushing the wooden handle down the twisted shaft, thereby turning the screw. It was used to make small holes and pilot holes.

We're delighted, and more than a little excited, to announce the addition of The Herbert Simpson Insect Collection to ou...
06/17/2026

We're delighted, and more than a little excited, to announce the addition of The Herbert Simpson Insect Collection to our permanent exhibits!

It was a hive of activity in the Museum on Friday as Tyler Nelson, Entomologist and Museum Curator with the Summerland Research and Development Station, came over to help us restore our insect collection. The collection had seen better days, but Tyler, with expert assistance from our bug-loving Programming Assistant, Evan Teo, was able to organise and clean up the insect cases. A selection of the collection was then moved to their new home in the insect drawers that had been adapted for us by the wonderful Summerland Men's Shed.

The collection is now on view to the public for all to see!

A huge thank you to Tyler and Evan for all their hard work on Friday, to the Summerland Men's Shed for the fabulous insect display case, to Walter Charles for the initial maintenance of the collection when it was donated in 1982, and, of course, to Herbert Simpson for painstakingly collecting such a fabulous collection of insect specimens!

Address

9521 Wharton Street
Summerland, BC
V0H1Z0

Opening Hours

Tuesday 10am - 4pm
Wednesday 10am - 4pm
Thursday 10am - 4pm
Friday 10am - 4pm
Saturday 10am - 4pm

Telephone

250-494-9395

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Summerland Museum & Archives Society posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Museum

Send a message to Summerland Museum & Archives Society:

Shortcuts

Share

Category