Heritage Village

R.J. Haney House

An original building on the property, R.J. and Margaret Haney’s home was built around 1910. The house is a strange mix between practicality and gentility with the main construction resembling a practical farmhouse embellished with leaded glass windows and fancy woodwork. Scheduled guided tours of the house are included with your general admission.

Mt. Ida Church

A virtual twin to the Methodist church at Hedgman's Corner, the first services took place in 1911 and the church was in continuous use by different denominations until the 1970s. It was moved to the village in 1988 and is still used for small weddings.

Blacksmith Shop

Wm. Newnes saw an opportunity when he learned that Miller's blacksmith shop was for sale in Salmon Arm. He knew that this shop was an essential part of community life. Master blacksmiths were needed to make and repair farming equipment and shoe horses.

Construction of this scale replica was made possible by donations from the Newnes family.

Filling Station

Alf Westerberg built this service station for A.D. Meek in 1927. In 1935 the log structure was dismantled, removed, and reused as a cabin at Paradise Point on Shuswap Lake for many years. Thanks to the Shuswap Chapter of the Vintage Car Club of Canada, it has been fully restored.

Firehall

This building is a replica of Salmon Arm's first firehall that served the community from 1913 to 1936. Two hose reels, specialized fire fighting buckets, and the first fire truck are on display.

This replica was built by members of the Volunteer Fire Department.

Broadview School

The one room Broadview School was constructed over the winter of 1917, and officially opened in January 1918, and saved neighbouring children a long walk to Canoe or Salmon Arm. The school was moved to the village in 1988 and now houses the Children's Museum and Discovery Centre in the school’s gymnasium. School re-enactments occur regularly as part of the daily activities from May - September included with your general admission.

Cook’s House (circa 1900)

The Chinese Cook's house is from the Kinghorn Estate in Sorrento. This log building came to R.J. Haney Heritage Village completely disassembled in 1986. The log home has now been incorporated into the amphitheatre, the main venue for SASCU Presents Haney Dinner Theatre, in addition to other Haney Heritage Village productions.

The Salmon Valley Homestead (circa 1890s)

One of the first log homes built in the valley, this building is a good example of the Finnish style of log construction. Moved to the park from the Kew homestead at Minion field on 30th St. SW, the site also includes the Peterson Barn which is an outbuilding of similar construction. Watch for future developments - including a kitchen garden and small orchard.

McGuire General Merchant

The McGuire General Store has roots as a trading post established in 1890. When Charles McGuire passed away in 1892, his mother and several siblings moved to Salmon Arm to run the business and farm. Charles' younger brother Sam built a new store on the corner of Front Street and Alexander Ave. in 1903. Thanks to Charles, Sam also had the postal contract and employed their sister Emily as the Post Mistress.

Beemish Building (circa 2005)

This building contains the Cobweb Corners exhibit inspired by private collector, and radio show producer, Sam Beemish. The display contains a recreation of Sam’s recording studio, complete with his 6,436 records, 909 cylinders, and several antique record players.

Miss Puff, DRESSMAKER

Late of Winnipeg, Bohemian born Miss Bertha Puff set up shop in Salmon Arm in 1907, bringing advanced fashion ideas to a sleepy farming community. Take a peek into the change room to see Miss Puff's handiwork!

Queest Lookout Tower

A lookout station from Queest Mountain on Anstey Arm tells the story of forestry protection in the Shuswap. The tower was helicoptered off the mountain, relocated, and refurbished by the Salmon Arm Forest District staff in 2005.

Lester & Thomson Garage

This scale-model replica of the Lester and Thomson Car Sales building was completed in 2007 thanks to financial support and sweat equity of the Shuswap Chapter of the Vintage Car Club of Canada. The exhibit was installed in 2013.

The original building was situated on the corner of Alexander Ave. and Front Street (Lakeshore Drive) in downtown Salmon Arm.

Ivan & Polly Pidhirney lived here

Moved in 2008 from Fraser Avenue in Salmon Arm, this is the first house moved onto the village site. Built about1923, very few modifications have been made to the layout of the house. Since arriving at Haney, the Pidhirney Home has been re-roofed and its cove siding painted with period-appropriate colours, but funding is still needed to restore the interior.

Laitinen House

The most recent residence added to the village, this log home was moved from North Broadview Rd. in 2010. Built from logs from the property ~ 1922, it was home to newlyweds Albert Laitinen and Vera Halpenny. Miss Halpenny was the first school teacher at the Broadview School.

Restoration work on this exhibit is ongoing.

Nature Walk

While the R.J. Haney Heritage Village showcases local history, the buildings only take up a few acres of the forty acre park. Guests are free to explore the 2.34 km of walking trails that wind through grassy meadows, sheltered wooded slopes, and cool wetlands.

The sprig of heather restaurant (circa 1990)

If you are looking for a unique lunch experience, the Village's full-service restaurant, the Sprig of Heather, offers indoor and outdoor seating for up to 140 guests. It is also the new home for dinner service for Villains and Vittles Dinner Theatre . The commercial kitchen handles all the culinary needs for the daily menu , events, weddings and corporate functions at the Heritage Village.

The Telephone Exchange

Meet Mrs. Brian Harper at the switchboard or her sister-in-law Mrs. A.E. Cummings. Who else will be listening in on the party line?

The original Telephone Exchange served a total of 29 customers. Residents called 23 to place an order at McGuire General Merchants or long distance as far as Vernon, British Columbia!

Children's Museum and Discovery Centre

Children’s Museum and Discovery Centre at R.J. Haney Heritage Village provides hours of playful discovery for families. The Children’s Museum and Discovery Centre is themed around the natural elements at the Heritage Village, the water of the Shuswap and our early settlers. The hands-on exhibits are designed for children and their grown-ups to learn and play together.

bedford's drug store

The year was 1909 when Albert Bedford stepped off the platform at the Salmon Arm CPR Station. On the hunt for a location for his new (new here implies he had one prior. I don't know this so highlighting foe fact check) drug store. He chose Salmon Arm for its moderate climate and beautiful scenery. There was also opportunity. The town needed his services.

Bedford later added a new marketing strategy – a soda fountain. It was hand-churned ice cream at its best. Take a seat at the counter and check out the display of splits and sundaes, then order your ice cream cone at the Sprig of Heather.

salmon arm Observer

Publishers W. and H. Fraser realized that Salmon Arm was the place to be so they shut down their operation in Enderby and relocated. The community was booming! The brothers set up shop on Hudson Street and the first issue rolled off the press in October 1907.

Buy your subscription from Egnar Sandahl, the good-looking pressman, at the Observer counter. He was single when he moved here from Chase but soon made friends when he joined the community band.

Mah yick hand laundry

No one knows for sure when Mah Yick arrived in Canada, but he chose to settle in Salmon Arm in 1913 and open a small business on the Valley Road, west of the Salmon Arm town site. The settlers called the stretch of road “Chinatown.”

Then, in 1915, Mah made an astute business move that was immediately noticed. He relocated his laundry to Hudson Street, one building west of the Bank of Hamilton, and almost three blocks away from Chinatown. Mah’s relocation made the news. . .

The studio

 Rex Lingford opened his studio in 1909. A year later, W.J. Honey arrived on the scene. Both men were exceptionally talented photographers. Rather than compete, Lingford and Honey shook hands and partnered to open Lingford & Honey Photographers.

Take a selfie in the studio and post it to social media, then check out the darkroom at the back of the shop.

pool hall and barbershop

“Meet me at the Club” read the advertisement in the Observer on March 1, 1913. A new place to hang out!

The owners of this Club, Demers and Tillman, had four pool and billiard tables and a very comfortable barber’s chair. There were no excuses not to be well trimmed at this shop!

bank of hamilton

In 1906 the Bank of Hamilton set up business in an unassuming building at the southwest corner of Hudson St. and Alexander Ave. Four years later, contractors Gibbard and Boutwell moved the structure to the corner of the lot and commenced working on a new building. The heritage building is currently home to Heavenly Outhouse in downtown Salmon Arm.