Congratulations Mr Heritage — Fred Pepin!
Heritage BC has awarded Fred Pepin an Honourable Mention in the Ruby Nobbs Distinguished Service Award for 2024. This recognizes volunteers who have made, “a life-long commitment, and who have, shaped heritage in their communities through significant contributions and leadership.” The award was presented May 2nd at Nelson, BC during Heritage BC’s annual conference.
Fred has been a driving force behind the Langley Heritage Society for more than 40 years, leading the volunteer organization in saving and restoring multiple buildings in Langley. See examples HERE.
“Fred Pepin’s nickname ‘Mr. Heritage’ says it all”, says Britney Dack, Chair of Heritage BC. “Through unwavering commitment to heritage preservation in the Township of Langley, Fred has left his mark through the places saved in his community. With volunteering that spans multiple organizations in his community, it is clear that Fred stands as an example of the dedicated heritage advocate”.
Fred has previously been honoured as a Freeman of the Township of Langley, and is currently overseeing restoration of a 1915 era dairy barn in the Township’s Old Yale Park at Murrayville. When he’s not pursuing projects with the Langley Heritage Society, he’s running his family farm, volunteering with the BC Farm Museum, and serving on the Township of Langley’s Heritage Advisory Committee. We are so fortunate to have benefited from his incredible skills and dedication to heritage preservation.
Fred at his home sawmill. He recently cut new beams for the roof restoration on a barn in Old Yale Park.
“The Langley Heritage Society is located on the traditional and unceded lands of the Kwantlen, Katzie, Matsqui, and Semiahmoo peoples. We respect this land and its original occupants.”
See You at the AGM!
Attention members — have you purchased your AGM Dinner ticket yet? Friday May 10th we’ll be gathering at the Fort Langley Community Hall to celebrate another year with camaraderie, jazz music and a delicious meal. We’ll also hear a special presentation from Maurice Guibord of the Société historique francophone de la Colombie-Britannique. He’ll share stories from the fur trade era — Canadiens at Fort Langley, Ovid Allard & son Jason, and Étienne Pépin and his descendants. He’ll also shed light on other francophone families who are an important part of Langley’s story, including the Michaud and Dumais farming families who lived in two homes preserved by the Langley Heritage Society. For tickets, contact Dave Buckley at: dalwyneb@telus.net You can also update your membership at the door.
Join Our Volunteer Crew!
The Fort Langley CNR Station is extending an invitation to potential volunteers for the coming season. It’s a great way to share our heritage, and meet new people from around the world. Find more information and the application form HERE.
New Roof Atop Old Yale Barn!
Restoration work continues on the barn at Old Yale Park. Once the roof was reinforced, shingles made from recycled tires were added. This material has been used successfully at the Fort Langley CNR Station and Wark/Dumais House. The next step with see new siding that we hopes extends the life of this barn for another 100 years. The Langley Heritage Society is funding the restoration; the barn will be operated by the Township of Langley in this popular park with a trail, dog-walking area and community garden.
Old Yale Barn Gets TLC
Work is progressing on roof repairs for the barn inside Old Yale Park. The barn was built in about 1915; without this work the barn would not be much longer for this world.
A large tarp is helping keep the weather out while contractor, Darwin Development & Construction, works on the sub-roof.
New hemlock struts are now in place in the bottom half of the hip-shaped roof. Our president Fred Pepin cut them on his home sawmill.
Upstairs, looking to the east you can see the owl box in the upper centre. The owl is still there each morning.
The original joists were mostly made from cedar. The metal bar running through the centre of the ceiling was for pulling slings of hay into the barn.
The downstairs area of the barn was once used for dairy cattle. The barn in Old Yale Park is part of Langley’s rich agricultural heritage.
Latest Newsletter
With spring there’s lots to come in the next few weeks: work begins on a barn restoration; our AGM Dinner is planned for May; the CNR Station reopens on May Day Monday, and we’ll launch a Youth Jazz Series with the Fort Langley Jazz & Arts Festival. Read all about it HERE.