If you’re a fan of old homes, a new video series produced by the Heritage Chilliwack Society may be right up your alley.
The first of four (so far) On the Porch videos debuted in late August, with Heritage Chilliwack board member Kristina Legault taking a look at ‘the Hazel house,’ a character home that sits on one-and-a-half acres on Hazel Street and is owned by Minke and Gerald Timmerman.
Episode one, which runs 4:42 in length, takes viewers inside the home for a look at rooms that have been extensively renovated but retain the nostalgic charm of a house that was built in 1913. During the process of renovating, Minke and Gerald actually discovered newspaper clippings dating as far back as 1913 hiding behind a demolished wall.
“We like wallpapering. I don’t know why but we do, and one of the things we did was wallpaper a wall with all the old newspapers we found,” Minke explained in the video.
Episode two of On the Porch features the Carmichael House on Spadina Avenue, an officially designated heritage home that was built in 1911.
Episode three features the Higginson House, located next to the historic Kinkora Golf Course. The property has been in the same family since 1887 and the house was built in 1904-05.
“When I go up and down the stairs holding on to the handrail, I think of all the people who’ve done the same thing over 100-plus years,” said Don Forbes, who owns the property. “It’s a very comforting thought.”
The most recent episode, posted to YouTube one week ago, shines the spotlight on one of Chilliwack’s most well-known houses.
The Gwynne Vaughan House sits on 6.8 acres is owned and maintained by the City of Chilliwack. It was built in 1896 by Mr. A.D. Driscoll.
It ended up in the hands of the Gwynne Vaughan family in 1902 and in their hands it stayed until 1993, when Adelaide Bateman (Adelaide Gwynne Vaughan) passed away and bequeathed the house and property to the city. The 2:37 long episode takes viewers on a tour of the exterior and interior.
READ MORE: Moving day for 110-year-old heritage house
READ MORE: Effort to move Chilliwack heritage house on Maitland falls through
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