Museums near Duncan BC (9 Result(s))

The Cowichan Bay Wooden Boat Society was originally conceived in the 1970's and started off as a boat building school. The first location was a small building at the Bluenose Marina. The present buildings were built on site and designed by Tim Richardson, a member of the Society, and were placed along an old Chevron Oil facility extending approx 82 meters into Cowichan Bay This is probably the longest dock in the area. These buildings are called Galleries and now house many maritime artifacts which reflect the history of the Cowichan Valley. The first three Galleries are open at each end which allows the public to walk through and view the displays. The end Gallery is a two level enclosed unit which contains many of the more environmentally sensitive artifacts such as model boats, pictures and a marine library. In addition to the historic displays, the Center conducts several wooden boat building classes annually which are available to the public for a fee. These classes are conducted in a large workshop which includes many fine woodworking tools and equipment. There is a marine ways which caters to the hauling and cleaning of wooden boats. It is well patronized especially during the summer months. The Society is committed to the restoration and repair of wooden craft, along with preserving the history and heritage of BC's maritime past. Boats are often up to 40 feet in length. Unfortunately, simultaneous restorations are often restricted by the limited amount of outdoor covered space. We organize and participate in many community events such as the Celebration of BC's 150th Birthday, Fast and Furious Boat Building Festival, the Christmas Sail Past and a Pirates Festival, to name just a few. We also travel to many local communities to support their events-Tall Ships Victoria in 2005 and 2008, Ladysmith coming events, Maple Bay Boat Show, Duncan Home Show are all examples of our involvement in other communities.

We have many books in our library that can assist your research and a great selection of books for sale in our Gift Shop. Check here for a list of just some of the available books in our Research Library and available in our Gift Shop.

Parks Canada offered the use of the building to the Pender Island Museum Society with a long term lease at negligible cost if the Society would restore the building to a condition suitable for public access as a museum. The Society would also assume full responsibility for all maintenance and annual operating expenses and would receive no financial assistance from Parks Canada. The Society accepted the offer and began a two year restoration process that included replacing the posts with a proper perimeter foundation and the reconstruction of the missing front porch and portico.The purpose of the Pender Islands Museum is to acquire, catalogue, display and preserve historical artifacts, documents and photographs related to the Pender Islands and to make them available for public viewing, education, and research with peripheral inclusion of varied community activities. We are in the process of digitizing our collection and progress can be seen here: http://ehive.com/account/4763The Museum was officially opened in July 2005