Happy St Patrick’s Day
The Irish have been part of Langley’s history ever since Europeans set foot in this area. Some of the earliest settler families trace their roots to the Emerald Isle, including Robert James Wark who sailed from Londonderry in 1890 as a 16 year old. He later became Langley’s reeve (or mayor) between 1914 and 1918. He was one of the first to own an automobile, and the first to have a paved driveway! Wark/Dumais House was later restored by the Langley Heritage Society. For more about the home’s history, go HERE. Robert was nephew to Henry Wark, who was part of the expedition that established a site for the original Fort Langley; he later became postmaster at Fort Langley. Historic Murrayville is named after Irish-born Paul Murray who cleared land with his family and farmed at the foot of a hill in 1874 that became known [...]