Despard
A successful jockey in Ireland until he broke both wrists falling off horses, Ned Despard, took up a homestead on Errington Road naming it “Woodsgift” and later opened up his home as a hobby craft exhibit. Page 62 Parksville & then some by Marjorie Leffler details the numerous and unusual items found within the exhibit including a large antlered elk now found at the Parksville Museum.
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McMillan
Duncan McMillan was a road building superintendent and bridge builder and in 1897 he was appointed government telegraph lineman. His wife Ann McMillan was a telegraphist and used a room in their house as her office. Come take a look as the house now sits on the...
Lee
Lured by the prospect of farming on Vancouver Island, Henry Lee, his wife and their two sons emigrated from Ireland in 1886 and chose French Creek as their new home. Each family member claimed 160 acres of which 40 were oceanfront. The Lee cabin became known as...
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...
Gaetjen Family
The well known and popular Parksville Mini Golf sits on the land once owned by the brothers Herman, Gustav and Henry Gaetjen. In 1891, the brothers donated the land for the first school which sat at the site of the present day Chevron, the corner of Island and Alberni...
Parks Family
Who put the Parks in Parksville? Nelson Parks! Born in Ohio in 1824, he travelled west with wife Elizabeth and sons George, James and Frank. Nelson and each of the sons registered their land claim and each received 160 acres. In 1886, the Englishman River Post Office...
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.
Admissions
By Donation
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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