Mennonite Historical Society of British Columbia

Early Years

The Mennonite Historical Society of British Columbia (MHSBC) was organized in Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada on 12 December 1972. Its early goals included the collection of historical materials from Mennonite conferences, churches, and institutions in British Columbia, and the acquisition of a site to house historic documents and museum artifacts. Those involved in the establishment and growth of the Society in the formative years include Vernon Reimer, George I. Peters, George Groening, Nick J. Kroeker, Jacob P. Goertzen, Hermann Janzen, Abram A. Olfert, and Waldemar "Wally" Kroeker. The Society became incorporated under the BC Societies Act in April 1980.

The Dream of a Mennonite Museum

In 1981 the Society opened a small museum in the Clearbrook Community Centre (formerly the site of Mennonite Educational Institute) featuring 370 artifacts, including tools, handicrafts, household articles, and reproductions of buildings and machinery. At that time the Society also published a book entitled Remember Your Leaders – a collection of biographies of ministers who served in the Conference of Mennonites in Canada. By April 1986 the Society had about 860 artifacts and 300 enlarged photos for display purposes.

In 1986 the Society received a no-cost renewable lease for eight acres of land from the Municipality of Chilliwack on the Trans-Canada Highway for the purpose of constructing a museum, consisting of a full-size replica of an authentic Russian Mennonite housebarn from the mid-19th century, a feed shed to contain a museum and assembly room, a windmill to serve as a restaurant, a small gift shop, and a replica of a sod dwelling.

Fundraising for the project faced stiff resistance in the Mennonite community, with several pastors voicing opposition. Ultimately, the project failed to garner wide-spread support and Society directors chose to end the project by 1994.

The Development of an Archives

While MHSBC focused on a museum, a second organization was established in October 1987 called the British Columbia Mennonite Archival Association. Individuals involved in this organization included Esther Born, Hugo Friesen, David Giesbrecht, and David Loewen. Their collection of historical documents and periodicals was housed in the basement of Columbia Bible College (CBC).

The earliest attempts to salvage treasured Mennonite archival materials began at the Clearbrook Community Centre during the 1980s where Esther Born worked with volunteers from the Clearbrook Golden Age Society to collect and copy documents pertinent to Mennonite history in the province. In 1986 an agreement was signed to transfer the archival collection to the site at Columbia Bible College, and by the early 1990s, the efforts of these two groups were merged into one collection.

In the mid-1990s MHSBC turned its attention away from the development of a museum and to developing an archives and historical library collection, providing genealogical resources (including microfilms of source documents), and featuring heritage lectures, fund-raising banquets and public events that attracted up to 1,500 persons. By 1995 the Society had adopted a revised constitution and by-laws. In that same year the Society accepted responsibility for the maintenance of the BC Mennonite Archival Centre at CBC, with Hugo Friesen serving as volunteer archivist.

Growth of MHSBC at Garden Park Tower

In August 1997 the Society merged with the BC Mennonite Archival Association and the archival collection was moved from CBC to Garden Park Tower, owned by the Clearbrook Golden Age Society. The new location was attractive and welcoming to visitors, and its location in a public building allowed for regular business hours. MHSBC was able to attract a larger number of volunteers, both from Abbotsford as well as other parts of the Fraser Valley and Lower Mainland, and these volunteers were trained by professional archivists from the community to organize the growing archival collection.

In January 2000 the Society established an Endowment Fund, allowing the Society to invest funds in order to generate revenue that could be drawn on annually to supplement an ever-growing budget. By this time a part-time office assistant had been employed, and volunteers such as Hugo Friesen and Erica Suderman directed the day-to-day operations of the archives and library.

MHSBC began a newsletter in May 1995 that evolved into a substantial periodical issued four times yearly with the name Roots and Branches.

Move to the Mennonite Heritage Museum

In 2011 what is now the Mennonite Museum Society was established by Peter Redekop of Richmond, BC. In September 2014 the Society commenced construction of the Mennonite Heritage Museum, fulfilling the dream of those who began the Mennonite Historical Society of BC over 40 years earlier. From the outset, it was made clear that the new museum was intended to be a permanent home for MHSBC.

In fall 2015, MHSBC relocated to the newly completed Mennonite Heritage Museum. The new museum provided MHSBC with ample space for its research library, archival holdings, and volunteers, who numbered around 60 in 2020. The move to the Museum also allowed MHSBC to share office staff with the Museum and hire a volunteer manager and an administrative assistant / bookkeeper.

Archival work continued to be carried out by a large group of trained volunteers. MHSBC was the first to upload its archival holdings descriptions to the MAID (Mennonite Archival Information Database) website (www.archives.mhsc.ca). Other volunteer work included the digitization of photographs (photos are also uploaded to the MAID website), the digitization of microfilms, the entry of data into the GRanDMA database (operated by the California Mennonite Historical Society), the indexing of Mennonite periodicals, the uploading of obituaries to the Mennonite Library and USA Archives biographical wiki, the translation of documents from German to English, and assisting the public with genealogical research. Four to five public events are held each year, including lectures and genealogy and writers’ workshops.

Bibliography

"Dear Members and Friends." Mennonite Historical Society of British Columbia Newsletter (May 1995): 1.

Dudley, Joanna. "Heritage Centre Slow to Grow." Mennonite Brethren Herald (13 November 1987): 15.

Giesbrecht, David. "Tribute to Bill Riediger." Mennonite Historical Society of British Columbia Newsletter 7, no. 4 (Fall/Winter 2001): 1.

"Historical Society to Begin Construction Despite Uncertainty." Mennonite Brethren Herald (19 July 1991: 18.

Klassen, P. J. "B.C. Historical Society meets." Mennonite Brethren Herald (4 February 1977): 14-15.

Lehn, Cornelia. "Mennonite Information Centre Inches Closer to Reality." Mennonite Brethren Herald (29 May 1992): 20.

"Museum opened in Clearbrook." Mennonite Brethren Herald (4 December 1981): 15-16.

Neufeld, Henry. "Special events: Music in the Valley." Mennonite Historical Society of British Columbia Newsletter 7, no. 3 (Summer 2001): 4.

"New Location." Mennonite Historical Society of British Columbia Newsletter (September 1997): 2.

"People and Events." Mennonite Brethren Herald (18 April 1986): 23.

Additional Information

Presidents of the Society

Presidents	Years
Vernon Reimer	1972-1976
George Groening	1976-1980
Gerhard I. Peters	1980-1992
William Riediger	1992-1997
John Konrad	1997-2010
Richard D. Thiessen	2010-present

Author(s)	Richard D Thiessen
Date Published	January 2022

Cite This Article

MLA style

Thiessen, Richard D. "Mennonite Historical Society of British Columbia." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. January 2022. Web. 19 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Mennonite_Historical_Society_of_British_Columbia&oldid=172909.

APA style

Thiessen, Richard D. (January 2022). Mennonite Historical Society of British Columbia. Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 19 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Mennonite_Historical_Society_of_British_Columbia&oldid=172909.

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