Skip to content

GUEST COLUMN: Limited funding has hampered Summerland’s museum

When a museum is chronically underfunded, there are consequences
8272657_web1_SUM-David-Gregory-Clipped

The Museum and Archives Society operates the district-owned museum, built in 1984.

The society receives an annual municipal grant. This grant was frozen at $16,000.

A few years ago, in error, the grant was increased to $35,000. This year, council supported an increase in the grant, now $40,000.

The Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen conducted a Regional Heritage Strategic Plan in July 2015. Even though Summerland had some of the most important buildings and sites, funding was far lower than other communities. For example, Osoyoos received $58,261. Oliver, with two museum buildings, received $123,195.

When Summerland conducted its own survey of museum funding, the second-lowest funding was for the museum in Sydney, which received $40,000 more than Summerland.

This year, council provided funds for a much-needed heritage building inventory.

When a museum is chronically underfunded, there are consequences. Most important is the loss of a community’s history.

The museum was offered a large collection of Kettle Valley Railway artefacts. The museum’s offsite storage facilities were already maxed out. The museum society declined the donation.

The board assumed the Revelstoke Railway Museum or Victoria’s Royal B.C. Museum would be offered the collection. Unfortunately, that did not happen and the collection was lost.

Summerland was also chosen as one of four museums in Canada to display the John McCrae exhibit (Flanders Fields.)

When officials saw our sub-standard museum, the idea was promptly dropped. Reasons included no weather-protected loading dock, no climate control and minimal security.

The museum does not meet even basic museum standards.

Attempts have been made to improve the facility. The museum society was involved with the Dale Matthews, Cal Meiklejohn and two Wharton Street proposals. These proposals were unsuccessful and the museum remains undersized and substandard.

With minimal funding, the museum has attempted to focus on Summerland’s unique history.

Our geology has been described as a “geologic wonderland.”

Our First Nation history is unsurpassed. After all, our former name was Nicola Prairie, after Grand Chief Nicola.

Priest Camp was the first non-native settlement in the Okanagan, 15 years before Pandosy Mission.

Shaughnessy, the CPR executive, Harrow School students, the Research Station, the fruit and the wine industries — we have a unique history.

With respect to the gas pump, these early pumps were created by the S.F. Bowser Company of Fort Wayne, Ind. This company had manufacturing facilities all over the world.

This particular visible Bowser pump was manufactured in Toronto. The Bowser gas pump became so commonplace that some countries still call their gas pumps Bowsers.

Our pump is missing its top, all attachments and one of four feet.

The gas pump was located in Lowertown for 70 years, with no expression of interest. In the mid-1990s, our public works department stored the pump at the public works yards. Again, no interest. Public works offered the pump to a local antique car museum but it was declined.

Eventually, it was stored in the already cluttered back room of the museum, making research there difficult. In the past year, many of the artefacts were moved to the basement of the RCMP building.

A director suggested that partial restoration could be done for free. This work was approved by the board.

Once restored, the pump will be returned to Summerland.

How and where it will be displayed will be a challenge. Because of the glass measuring cylinder, public safety must be considered.

David Gregory has been a director of the Summerland Museum and Archives Society for most years since 1988. The views expressed in this article are his and are not necessarily shared with other museum directors.