Murrayville Country Charm: Harrower House in Murrayville exudes country charm and local pioneer history. It’s not hard to imagine owners Bob and Mary Harrower relaxing with family on the verandah, chatting about the day’s events or chores that needed doing. Built by O.B. Reid between 1908 and 1910 for Bob’s grandfather James (a veteran of the Riel Rebellion and later a BC Telephone agent at Langley Prairie), this one-and-a-half storey house was saved from demolition and restored by the Langley Heritage Society in 1998. LHS President and Freedom of the Township recipient Fred Pepin says it was a big project: the house was raised, a full foundation built and a small addition constructed at the rear to create space for a bathroom and laundry. The original porch entrance had been closed in and was restored, aluminum windows were replaced with wooden framed windows, and siding was removed to reveal the original wooden siding. Interestingly, the verandah and entryway are positioned on the side of the house, instead of the more common placement on the width.
The Harrowers had the house built on a nearby property originally owned by Irishman Paul Murray, who, with his wife Lucy and seven children, settled on 160 acres of crown land at the four corners of the original Yale Road in 1874 (later known as Five Corners). Sadly, 10 years later, the Murray’s son Alexander drowned in the Fraser River while attempting to save a companion who also died. The area became known as “Murray’s Corner” and it’s thought the post office later changed the name to “Murrayville”. The Murray family built “Murray House” (constructed 1885-1889) for people travelling to the Interior; it later became known as the Traveller’s Hotel and is still operating as a B&B. It remains the oldest original structure in Murrayville.
The restored Harrower House sits beside Lamb/Stirling House, and together they honour the pioneer farming and transportation community that flourished around Murrayville.
