Langley Heritage Society has enlisted a younger generation to tell the stories of the community’s built heritage.
Students at Brookswood Secondary School have produced two videos highlighting the Fort Langley CN Station (circa 1915) and the elegant Wark/Dumais House (1890).
Both structures were saved by the Langley Heritage Society and are among eight restored properties with caretaker tenants living in them.
The Canadians National station dates back to an era when rail was king, central to life in the Fraser Valley. Today it is one of the most visited sites in Fort Langley.
The video describes the station’s history and how Langley Heritage Society volunteers restored the building.
The Wark/Dumais House was home to Langley’s first mayor, Robert Wark, and later to Albert Dumais, whose family operated a successful dairy farm.
Son Ernie Dumais was born in the house, and is featured in the video describing life on the farm in the 1940s and 50s.
Today, the Wark/Dumais House is a historical centrepiece on the campus of Kwantlen Polytechnic University, which sits on the original farmland.
Brookswood Grade 12 students filmed, edited and narrated the first two videos. The school’s TV and video production program has received numerous awards for its work over the years.
Plans are in the works to continue the series later this fall.
For more, visit www.langleyheritage.ca.
