Photograph of Joyce Allen, Dorothy Huck and Margaret Middleton standing on the wharf in Whaletown. Two women are sitting on a bench beside the freight shed behind them.
Photograph of Joyce Allen, Dorothy Huck and Margaret Middleton standing on the wharf in Whaletown. Two women are sitting on a bench beside the freight shed behind them.
Photograph of a group of people seated outside the first schoolhouse in Whaletown, which was at the corner of present-day Harbour and Carrington Bay Rds. The same photograph, copied from the collection of Meg Robertson Shaw, is found in the "Whaletown to 1930" album compiled by Doreen Huck Thompson.
The date is given as May 1920, and the people are identified by Doreen Thompson as:
(Back row, L to R) Bert Middleton, Elsie Allen, Alice Strange, Mrs. Barrett (Ina's mom), Meg Robertson, Ina Munro, Mr. Neale
(Front row, L to R) Verna, Melva & Jack Munro, Bernie Allen, Jim Allen, Pete (Margaret) Middleton, Violet Stoney, Miss James, Dolly Borden, Mr. & Mrs. Robertson, Roy Borden in hat
Mrs. Stoney in window
Photograph of a group of people seated outside the first schoolhouse in Whaletown, which was at the corner of present-day Harbour and Carrington Bay Rds. The same photograph, copied from the collection of Meg Robertson Shaw, is found in the "Whaletown to 1930" album compiled by Doreen Huck Thompson.
The date is given as May 1920, and the people are identified by Doreen Thompson as:
(Back row, L to R) Bert Middleton, Elsie Allen, Alice Strange, Mrs. Barrett (Ina's mom), Meg Robertson, Ina Munro, Mr. Neale
(Front row, L to R) Verna, Melva & Jack Munro, Bernie Allen, Jim Allen, Pete (Margaret) Middleton, Violet Stoney, Miss James, Dolly Borden, Mr. & Mrs. Robertson, Roy Borden in hat
Mrs. Stoney in window
Meg Robertson, Margaret Middleton,and Dorothy Huck, all wearing bathing suits and caps in the lagoon beside the Robertson's home at Burnside in Whaletown. Rankin Robertson's feet are sticking up out of the water at the right.
Meg Robertson, Margaret Middleton,and Dorothy Huck, all wearing bathing suits and caps in the lagoon beside the Robertson's home at Burnside in Whaletown. Rankin Robertson's feet are sticking up out of the water at the right.
Series consists of documents pertaining to the Whaletown Cemetery, including original draft of "Rules and Regulations Governing the Operation of the Whaletown Cemetery, Whaletown, B.C." (1970s), Whaletown Cemetery Board meeting minutes, a map of the old cemetery, and newspaper clipping of obituaries for Norene Kvello and Richard Irwin Teames. Series was removed from a binder when accessioned.
Series consists of documents pertaining to the Whaletown Cemetery, including original draft of "Rules and Regulations Governing the Operation of the Whaletown Cemetery, Whaletown, B.C." (1970s), Whaletown Cemetery Board meeting minutes, a map of the old cemetery, and newspaper clipping of obituaries for Norene Kvello and Richard Irwin Teames. Series was removed from a binder when accessioned.
Photograph of two pigs in a pen with picket and rail fencing; a woman is leaning on the far line of fence and a boy is in the right foreground. A shed and fruit trees, and a forested hill, can be seen in the background. Photo is probably at Burnside.
Photograph of two pigs in a pen with picket and rail fencing; a woman is leaning on the far line of fence and a boy is in the right foreground. A shed and fruit trees, and a forested hill, can be seen in the background. Photo is probably at Burnside.
Photograph is an overview of Whaletown and Whaletown Bay, showing the dock and freight shed and the houses across the bay near the current site of the ferry dock.
Photograph is an overview of Whaletown and Whaletown Bay, showing the dock and freight shed and the houses across the bay near the current site of the ferry dock.
Photograph of the Church Hall in Whaletown, which stood in front of the old cemetery at the corner of Carrington Bay and Harbour roads. It served the community as both church and a venue for social events for almost forty years. The original Whaletown school became its kitchen, and a sleeping place for tired children.
Photograph of the Church Hall in Whaletown, which stood in front of the old cemetery at the corner of Carrington Bay and Harbour roads. It served the community as both church and a venue for social events for almost forty years. The original Whaletown school became its kitchen, and a sleeping place for tired children.
Fonds consists of the records of the Whaletown Community Club from 1951 to 2016. The first accession (2003.003) consists of records from 1951 to 1985 and includes minutes of general and executive meetings, correspondence, administrative records including the original constitution and bylaws, financial records and reports on projects and functions sponsored by the organization. Files from Accession 2003.003 are described in five series: 1) Minutes; 2) Correspondence; 3) Financial; 4) Administrative Records; 5) Subject Files.
Accruals in 2017 (#2017.009) and in 2023 (#2023.008) comprise records of the Whaletown Community Club from 1985 to 2018, including minutes of executive and general meetings, financial statements, correspondence, and records of projects and programs. The material was kept in binders; it has been placed in folders maintaining original order, and described using the above five series.
The beginning of the Whaletown Community Club is unclear as almost all the Club's records were destroyed in a fire in 1950; the earliest records still existing date from 1948. (See Gilean Douglas fonds, Series 8). The WCC became a registered society in 1953 when the Gorge Harbour Community Hall Society disbanded and turned ownership of the Gorge Hall over to the Whaletown Community Club.
The activities of the Club are carried on chiefly within the Whaletown postal area, and are intended to promote the interests of the community in matters of general welfare, to sponsor recreational and sports activities, and to hold land and premises necessary for Club activities. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s the Club was a channel through which Whaletown residents organized health and educational services and lobbied for better roads, hydro and ferry service, as well as sponsoring social events. From 1978 until 2010 it sponsored the Whaletown National Enquirer, a monthly community newspaper.
A main function of the Whaletown Community Club is the maintenance of the Gorge Harbour Community Hall. Originally built in 1933, it has been renovated several times and serves as the main venue for community functions in the Whaletown area. Until 1953, when the lease was turned over to the Whaletown Women's Institute, the Club maintained the Church Hall, which was owned by the Columbia Coast Mission and stood at the corner of Carrington Bay and Harbour roads. Before 1958 the Club held most of its meetings in the Church Hall.
Since 1958, when the Whaletown Women's Institute disbanded, the WCC has maintained the library in Whaletown (originally the Farmer's Institute building; now the Louisa Tooker Library) and the old and new Whaletown cemeteries. The Anglican Diocese transferred the title of the two Whaletown cemeteries to the WCC in 2012. In 1964 they acquired the lease for the last remaining piece of Crown land with access to Gorge Harbour, to preserve it as a park. They have leased the former Whaletown school property from the School Board since the school was closed in 1973, and purchased the schoolhouse for the sum of $1.00 in 2010.
Custodial History
Records were acquired directly from the Whaletown Community Club in 2003 (Accession 2003.003), 2017 (Accession 2017.009) and 2023 (Accession 2023.008). A few records were separated from the Cortes Island Ratepayers Assn. fonds in 2004 (records for both organizations had been kept in the same filing cabinet in the Gorge Hall).
Scope and Content
Fonds consists of the records of the Whaletown Community Club from 1951 to 2016. The first accession (2003.003) consists of records from 1951 to 1985 and includes minutes of general and executive meetings, correspondence, administrative records including the original constitution and bylaws, financial records and reports on projects and functions sponsored by the organization. Files from Accession 2003.003 are described in five series: 1) Minutes; 2) Correspondence; 3) Financial; 4) Administrative Records; 5) Subject Files.
Accruals in 2017 (#2017.009) and in 2023 (#2023.008) comprise records of the Whaletown Community Club from 1985 to 2018, including minutes of executive and general meetings, financial statements, correspondence, and records of projects and programs. The material was kept in binders; it has been placed in folders maintaining original order, and described using the above five series.
File contains correspondence with School District 72 re the old Whaletown school property and building; a Bill of Sale for the school house for $1; a License Agreement for the school property for a term of 5 years for a fee of $150/year; a request to extend the lease for another 5 years (2015) and a receipt for payment of the annual lease fee (July 1 2015-June 30 2016).
File contains correspondence with School District 72 re the old Whaletown school property and building; a Bill of Sale for the school house for $1; a License Agreement for the school property for a term of 5 years for a fee of $150/year; a request to extend the lease for another 5 years (2015) and a receipt for payment of the annual lease fee (July 1 2015-June 30 2016).
Photograph of Billy Tait standing on the dock in Whaletown. The channel marker and houses near the present-day ferry dock can be seen in the background.
Photograph of Billy Tait standing on the dock in Whaletown. The channel marker and houses near the present-day ferry dock can be seen in the background.
