We continue to reflect on the history and intergenerational harm of colonialism and residential schools. We remember and honour the Indigenous individuals, families and communities who have been affected by this injustice. Every Child Matters.
Our Mandate
The Qualicum Beach Historical and Museum Society was incorporated under the Society Act of British Columbia on March 29, 1984. The Constitutional mandate of the Society is outlined below.
The mandate of the Qualicum Beach Historical and Museum Society is to collect, preserve, research, interpret, and display the natural and social history of Qualicum Beach. By sharing the stories and objects that highlight the character of the area, visitors can experience exhibits that honour the history of the Qualicum First Nation including the resiliency of language and culture, learn about the growth of the town and its connection to industries such as logging, fishing, and tourism, and explore one of the finest paleontological collections in Western Canada.
The Qualicum Beach Museum would like to acknowledge that the land on which we gather is the unceded traditional lands of the Coast Salish peoples, specifically the Qualicum First Nations whose historical relationship with the land continues to this day.
News
October 2024 Newsletter
Truth & Reconciliation Day
National Day for Truth & Reconciliation is just around the corner. In the acknowledgement of Indigenous Rights, and paving way for a more equitable future, governments, organizations, and community leaders have been using terms such as 'UNDRIP', 'Declaration Act',...
June 2024 Newsletter
Events
Museum openings, travelling exhibits, lectures, and more! Stay up to date with events happening at the museum year-round.
COVID Poetry Project
Over the past months, we’ve asked the community to share their poetry with us.
Inspired by the COVID-19 pandemic, these authors of all ages reflect on our new normal and life in Qualicum Beach.
School Programs
Our Museum is home to a fascinating collection of fossils as well as historical artefacts. Our Museum invites students to learn about the social and natural history of Qualicum Beach and area through hands-on activities and inquiry-based learning. Please come and join us as we step back in time to learn more about our community and the world around us. Working with district schools we are currently re-developing our educational programs to enhance the new K-12 BC curriculum.
School tours are still available upon request. For more information or to book a tour, please contact the Museum.
Qualicum Beach
School Photos
Are you curious about family history or perhaps just curious about the past? Thanks to the Qualicum Beach Museum, you can now search or browse school photos dating back to the 1920s! High resolution prints or digital copies are available upon request for a small fee. The database currently contains records from the 1920s to the 1950s.
Featured Exhibits
Qualicum First Nations History
This exhibit looks at the story of the Pentlatch peoples who occupied the local area, based on the research and interpretation of a Master’s student from the Qualicum First Nation. There is a section on artefacts and implements, historic occupation of the area by Indigenous peoples, and a spoken language exhibit featuring ‘Pentlatch Moons’.
Social History
As you step upstairs, you will be transported into the Qualicum Beach of yesteryear. Featuring exhibits on C.P.R. employee H.E. Beasley, the Qualicum Beach Train station, the Qualicum Beach Hotel and more, these displays reveal life in the past.
Natural History
Fossils are precious gifts from the geologic past: signs and remains of ancient living things preserved in the Earth’s crust. The word has a Latin origin, from fossilis meaning “dug up”, and that remains the key attribute of what we label as fossils.
Temporary Exhibits
Smaller temporary exhibits are added and changed throughout the year.
Fighting In Flanders – Gas. Mud. Memory.
Developed by the Canadian War Museum, this exhibition explores the Canadian experience in Belgium during the First World War. From the first use of chlorine gas in the Second Battle of Ypres to the treacherous mud of Passchendaele, Canadian soldiers faced horrific conditions on the battlefield. Even a century later, Flanders Fields remains an integral part of Canadian memory.
The exhibition will be accompanied by information on local residents who served in the First World War, and how the war impacted the community of Qualicum Beach. This will include rare photographs and objects from the museum’s collection.
On display November 5, 2024 – January 30, 2025.
Oral History Theatres
The Qualicum Beach Museum has two short documentaries based on recordings of local oral histories of Qualicum Beach. The making of these involved interviewing several descendants of local pioneers, videotaping the interviews, and compiling countless hours of amazing stories and collective memories.
Outside Displays
The QB museum is located right across from the E&N Railway station on Beach Road and has a magnificent view of the ocean. The grounds consist of a small garden where the statue of Guiseppe Roat (made by local carver François Mongeau in 2012), better known as the Hermit, presides. The Hermit was born in the Tyrolean Alps in 1882, and as a young man traveled widely before coming to Qualicum sometime in 1918.
Support Your Museum
A sincere thank you to all the sponsors and volunteers that help us maintain this vital connection to our history and heritage. Please consider supporting us with a financial donation, the purchase of a membership, or the gift of your time.
Qualicum Beach Museum Archives
The Archives store a treasure trove of the community’s memories that help to tell our history, acting as a repository for community records that document social, economic, political, and geographical developments in the area. The Archives’ purpose is to identify, acquire, and preserve these archival records for the people of Qualicum Beach and the surrounding area, and to make those records accessible to the public.
“The mission of the Qualicum Beach Historical and Museum Society is to acquire, preserve and present the social and natural history of the Qualicum Beach area in a manner in which the whole community will be interested, supportive, and proud.”
We gratefully acknowledge the operational support of the BC Arts Council.
HOURS
SUMMER
June through September
Tuesday to Saturday from 10-4
WINTER
October through May
Tuesday and Thursday 1-4
Saturday 1-4
ADMISSION
By donation
Suggested: $5 for Adults
$2 for Children
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CONTACT US
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Email Us
qbmuseumadmin@shaw.ca
qbmuseum2@shaw.ca
Visit Us
587 Beach Road
Qualicum Beach, B.C.
V9K 1K7