Heritage Properties, South Coast Region, maintains some stand-alone historic
and archaeological sites that may be of interest.  Collections range from
documentary to representative and include buildings, grounds, living
artifacts, historic, ethnological and archaeology collections.  Each site
has a specified collecting theme and date range.

HELMCKEN HOUSE: Original building, medical artifacts (300) and domestic
items (500) c. 1850-1920; interpretation collection of donated, replicated
and purchased items for demonstration, display and hands-on visitor use.
624 medical and domestic artifacts catalogued on CHIN, 250 interpretation
collection objects and costumes inventoried on File Express software.

POINT ELLICE HOUSE: Original house and grounds, household Victoriana (4400)
including textiles (clothing, carpets and house fittings), books, etc.,
historic plant collection (unknown size) c. 1850-1920, archival collection
(unknown size) including photographs, magazines, books and papers.  This
collection has provenance to the O'Reilly family, dating over three
generations from 1868.  The curator considers it the most important
collection of Victoriana in its original surroundings in British Columbia.
Household collection catalogued on CHIN (4111 artifacts).

CRAIGFLOWER FARMHOUSE AND SCHOOLHOUSE: Original buildings (2), household
objects (300), photographs (50), agricultural objects (200), schoolhouse
objects (500) c. 1850-1870; artifacts with provenance to B.C. pioneers
(400); artifacts purchased or replicated for display and interpretation
(500); replicated buildings (2-3).  925 artifacts catalogued on CHIN.

KOSAPSOM: Kosapsom is the traditional name used by the Esquimalt Nation for
their ancestral village site which surrounds Craigflower Schoolhouse.  An
archaeological field school of the University of Victoria has been
excavating the site, and is currently cataloguing the excavated artifacts.

CARR HOUSE: Original building (1), restored and replicated architectural
fabric and finishes, and interptretive collection (no provenance) (300), c.
1860-1900.  None catalogued.  350 interpretation collection objects and
costumes inventoried on File Express; architectural fabric and fittings
(restored or unrestored) documented in paper files and reports.

TOD HOUSE: Owned jointly by the Municipality of Oak Bay and the provincial
government, Tod House contains the oldest known house in British Columbia,
although it is now obscured by many later additions.  Building documented
through reports, no provenanced artifacts.

CRAIGDARROCH CASTLE: run by the Craigdarroch Castle Historical Museum
Society.  It was built for millionaire Robert Dunsmuir, the richest man in
Western Canada at the time.  Of Craigdarroch's collection of 5,000
artifacts, approx. 60 belonged to the Dunsmuir family, and most of these are
photographs.  Over the years, several pieces have been discovered and
brought back to Craigdarroch, including six original paintings by Frederick
Schafer and three parlour chairs.  It is the aim of the Society to preserve
Craigdarroch as a historic site as well as to collect, conserve, research,
document and interpret objects which illustrate the history of the Castle.

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If you stray from Victoria, please come and see our site, arguable the most
developed and progressive site in the province.  For more information,
please visit our WEB site at
http://www.islandnet.com/~bcma/museums/fsht/intro.html.

I hope this helps.

Derryll White
Curator Fort Steele Heritage Town
Fort Steele, B.C.  VOB 1NO
email: [log in to unmask]