Bernard
Born in Dublin, Ireland in 1874, George Bernard caught the excitement of Canada’s gold rush and returned from the north wearing a dead man’s set of pants and hat as he had lost his own!
A new job working for the railways brought George to Parksville in 1914. He was a renowned taxidermist. See p. 73 Parksville & then some by Marjorie Leffler for more details including the pet cougar that he owned.
More Stories
“I lost a brother and a sister in that school in Port Alberni”
Nanoose First Nations Elder, Jim Bob spoke at the Parksville Museum for Orange Shirt Day, 2020. Sitting in the Parksville Museum courtyard in front of a small crowd, he recalled memories of waking to the sound of a beating drum and his elders singing outside the...
Coast Salish People
We acknowledge that we are gathered on the unceded territory of the Coast Salish People including the territories of the Snaw-Na-Was and Qualicum people. Recognized as one of the best sports fishing rivers on Vancouver Island, Englishman River was known by speakers of...
Craig Family
So…..if you were born in Malpeque, Prince Edward Island, home of the world famous oysters (almost as good as Fanny Bay!) and decided to leave PEI and head west – where would you end up? Craig Bay, Craig Cottage, Craig Historic Park – yup – in Parksville. Arriving in...
Hirst Family
Receiving the dubious distinction as the first white settler to step onto these shores, John Hirst Junior arrived by canoe and purchased 160 acres for $160. In 1895, John and his wife Ann (Harris of Nanaimo) started building the Rod and Gun Hotel. Unfortunately, John...
Gough
For over a hundred years, regularly on November 27th at 11am, the Gough family descendents of Parksville and Nanaimo attended a ceremony commemorating the arrival of the Princess Royal (in 1853, seventy-five people travelled on this ship from Tillbury, England...
1245 East Island Highway
Parksville, BC V9P 2E5
The Parksville Museum is located on the unceded, traditional, & ancestral lands of the Coast Salish, Hul’q’umi’num’ speaking people including the Snaw-naw-as and Snuneymuxw people.
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Your generous donation helps to make the Museum a vibrant part of our community and allows us to continue offering family-friendly events, programming and exhibits.
Hours
Heritage Buildings are now closed for the 2022 season.
The grounds are always open to enjoy.
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