It’s no secret, I don’t like scary stuff.
My imagination can’t handle horror films, monsters and gore.
The one time my friends dragged me along to Fright Nights at Playland, I had to close my eyes inside the haunted houses and hold on to someone’s shoulders the entire time.
So when I was asked to go on the media tour for Fort Langley National Historic Site’s Grave Tales, I was less than excited.
Ghost stories in the dark. My favourite.
But much to my surprise, I was completely blown away by the tour — so much so, that I purchased tickets to go again.
The walk is about far more than just ghosts haunting buildings. It was packed full of local history, and that is definitely my thing.
Having grown up and graduated high school in Langley, I’m ashamed to admit I did not know who Alexander Mavis was, or how Glover Road got its name.
Why didn’t we learn this in school?
I could pull up old essays on the Second World War, or how the Hudson’s Bay Company established a post in Fort Langley.
But the history of the Birthplace of B.C. after the Fort ceased operations in 1886? Not a thing.
There’s a comment that Aman Johal, our costumed interpreter and ghost guide, said during the tour that really stuck with me.
It’s great to explore the world, but we should learn the history of our own backyard first.
I agree.
We live in one of the oldest communities in British Columbia. We should learn about it.
The history of how our town came to be is fascinating, and it should be a part of high school curriculum in Langley (if it isn’t already).
I was chatting to a friend who teaches Grade 10 social studies in Langley, a course that is all about the founding and history of B.C., and she commented that there’s already so much in the curriculum for that year, it would be hard to fit in anything more.
That’s a good point.
So although Grave Tales is already almost sold out for this year (there were a couple single tickets remaining as of late last week), I encourage everyone to visit the National Historic Site and pick the brains of the interpreters who work there.
Lately there’s been such a push to shop local, eat local and spend local.
We should learn local, too.
Miranda Gathercole is a lifelong Langley resident, who joined the Times’ editorial team as a full-time reporter this past July.
