Friends of the Richmond Archives

Home
Canada
Richmond, BC
Friends of the Richmond Archives

Call Directions Website

The Friends of the Richmond Archives is a volunteer- run society.

What we do:

- Promote and support the City of Richmond Archives.
- Encourage the association of persons interested in archives and the preservation of archival material.
- Focus community attention on the Archives by promoting the use of the resources and services of the Archives.
- As a registered charity, receive endowments, bequests and donations toward projects that support and promote awareness of the City of Richmond Archives.
- Support legislation, either municipal, provincial or federal, where it will enhance further interest in archival matters.
- Cooperate with other organizations or individuals in the furtherance of the aims of the Society.

10/29/2026

This house, which once stood alone in the Brighouse area near what is now the intersection of Westminster Highway and No.3 Road, was regarded as one of the most haunted locations in Richmond. It was built around 1864 as a hunting lodge by Sir Edward Walter, founder and first commandant of the Corps of Commissionaires and whose family founded the Times of London newspaper. Bevelled mirrors, stained glass, marble, 14 cast iron fireplaces, carved woodwork, and even a grand piano were shipped around the Horn by sailing vessels to build the Victorian house, which Walter occupied for a short time before abandoning it. In 1916 Mr. Charles Jones purchased the property and family members reported feelings of unease and apprehension, momentary visions of a gentleman in a bowler hat, a woman looking out a window and strange noises throughout the house. Mr. Jones sold the house to the Berry family in 1921, who also reported strange occurrences there. The building passed through other owners until it was razed in 1962, nearly a century after it was built. In a couple of days, Richmond will be haunted by smaller ghosts and goblins so watch for them on Halloween! For more about the Edward Walter house, visit https://richmondarchives.ca/2014/10/30/sir-edward-walters-haunted-house/ . Photo posted for the Association of Canadian Archivists October hashtag party (City of Richmond Archives photo 1987 108 1)

10/22/2026

October is Women's History Month in Canada and, as we are in the midst of municipal and provincial elections in Richmond, it might be interesting to explore women's right to vote. Married and unmarried women who owned property gained the right to vote in municipal elections in B.C. on January 1, 1873, but could not hold office. Voting in provincial and federal elections was given under the Wartime Elections Act to anyone, male or female, who participated in military service or was related to someone who was in military service on September 20, 1917. It should be noted that Asian, Indigenous and some religious groups were prohibited from voting, not gaining voting rights until the early 1950s in some cases. The image shown here is the 1915 Richmond municipal voters' list, showing voters registered by ward and also containing the names of four women who owned property in the municipality and had the right to vote in municipal elections prior to being granted the right to vote in federal and provincial elections. (City of Richmond Archives image MRSE 35)

10/15/2026

This aerial photograph, ca. 1953, shows an area now dominated by high-rise buildings, restaurants and shopping centres. Central in the picture is Cambie Junior Secondary School at the corner of Cambie and Sexsmith Roads. Farther down Sexsmith Road, where it crosses Bridgeport, the old Bridgeport School is visible on the right. Crossing the Fraser River's Middle Arm, the Eburne Bridge can be seen passing over Duck Island to Eburne on Sea Island and the Marpole Bridge connecting Richmond to Vancouver. Residential streets and agricultural fields cover most of the landscape. (City of Richmond Archives photo 1977 1 104)

10/08/2026

This 1951 aerial photograph looks north-east along the shore of the Middle Arm of the Fraser River at Sea Island. A car drives along Airport Road which passes through Burkeville to the bridges to Marpole and Lulu Island. At upper left is the Sea Island Royal Canadian Air Force base and, in the background, smoke rises from Vancouver's river-front industries. (City of Richmond Archives photo 1977 1 65)

10/01/2026

City Clerk Ted Youngberg and Clerk's Office employees Elaine Smith, Bill Lane and Bev Harper count ballots for the 1965 Richmond Civic Election in this photo. Among its many duties and responsibilities, the City Clerk's Office is responsible for the administration of civic and school district elections and for the conducting of public referenda, and they have been busy working on preparations for the Local Government and School Elections, which take place on October 17, 2026. Richmond residents can cast their ballot for mayor, eight councillors and seven school trustees. For more information on voting visit https://www.richmond.ca/city-hall/elections.htm (City of Richmond Archives photo 1986 16 4)

09/24/2026

This 1970 photograph shows children and adults demonstrating for improvements to be made to Richmond's Centennial pool to allow year-round swimming. It took until 1984 before the pool was enclosed and enlarged to form the Minoru Aquatic Centre, a facility that was replaced by the Minoru Centre for Active Living in 2019. Photo posted for the Association of Canadian Archivists September hashtag party (City of Richmond Archives photo 1978 33 6)

09/17/2026

This photo shows the Algonquin Park subdivision in the first stages of construction in 1973. A few of the houses that were built here have since been demolished and replaced with newer and larger ones, but most of the neighbourhood is intact today. (City of Richmond Archives photo, Bill Topping fonds 2008 36 2 37)

09/10/2026

This aerial view shows Lord Byng School in Steveston, ca. 1977. Schools have existed on this property, bounded by No.1 Road, Second Avenue and Georgia Street, since 1897, when the original two-room Steveston School was built. The buildings shown in this picture were replaced by a more modern structure in 1995. On the centre left, just north of the field, a civil defence siren used during the Cold War can be seen. Richmond had a network of 15 sirens in its civil defence system during the Cold War, located to warn the majority of the population in the event of a nuclear attack. To read more about civil defence during the Cold War, visit Outside the Box - The Richmond Archives blog at https://richmondarchives.ca/2026/08/27/take-cover-civil-defense-during-the-nuclear-age/ (City of Richmond Archives photo 1978 26 34)

09/03/2026

This image from 1939 shows Mr. David Dick standing beside his school bus. Mr. Dick drove his bus in Richmond from 1929 until he retired in 1959. While school buses are provided by the School District today, in those days a school bus driver owned his bus and was responsible for all the maintenance and expenses involved. Kids go back to school after Labour day next week, so please watch out for school buses, lots of kids on the street and obey the traffic regulations. (City of Richmond Archives photo 1977 24 93)

08/27/2026

Asteroids was one of the most popular video games on the market in the early '80s. In this photo a group of kids pit their skills against the asteroids and invading flying saucers while a crowd of onlookers wait their turn behind them. The Asteroids competition was one of the 1982 Easter week activities at Lansdowne Park Shopping Centre where hundreds of young space cadets tried to get the highest scores and win prizes. Photo posted for the Association of Canadian Archivists August hashtag party (City of Richmond Archives, Richmond Review photo 1988 121 554)

Address

7700 Minoru Gate
Richmond, BC
V6Y1R9

Telephone

604-247-8305

Website

https://www.richmond.ca/city-hall/archives/about/Friends.htm

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Friends of the Richmond Archives posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.