Outreach, Education
& Tours
Experience Abbotsford’s History
Walking Tours
Our walking tours take you around Mill Lake, Matsqui Village, the historic Downtown Core, or around Mill Lake on a Indigenous Plant Use Tour, in approximately 1 hour. Along the way, our guides make stops to discuss the stories associated with each place, historic vistas or points of interest from a heritage standpoint. These tours are offered monthly during the summer, and as special offerings or booked programs year round.
A walk in the park
Mill Lake
The Mill Lake Walking Tour explores Mill Lake’s storied past as a local and provincial lumber hub. Discover the history of the Lake’s development and learn about the history of the surrounding community.
it takes a village
Matsqui Village
The Matsqui Village Walking Tour focuses on the Scandinavian pioneer families who founded, and quite literally built the Village, once the commercial centre of Matsqui, and also discusses the architecture and heritage value of the village, as well as its urban layout relative to the surrounding areas.
LIVING WITHIN S’ÓLH TÉMÉXW
Indigenous Plant Use
The Indigenous Plant Use Tour focuses on the many current, historical and traditional uses of various plants found around Mill Lake by the local Stó:lō First Nations, the Máthxwi (Matsqui) and the Séma:th (Sumas).
Our Town
Downtown Abbotsford
The hour-long Historic Downtown Walking Tour tells the colourful stories behind the streets, buildings and the eccentric characters who have called the downtown home.
Abbotsford - From Many Villages to City
Outreach program
What makes Abbotsford unique? With this program students will learn about how Abbotsford has grown from the geographically scattered thirteen villages into the large City of Abbotsford today. The program details the colourful stories of the streets, buildings and the characters from all around the world who have called the area home. Students will be given the opportunity to handle artifacts and view pictures from days past and get to explore how communities grow in a healthy way.
Please note: This program takes place in your classroom and does not take place at Trethewey House Heritage Site. Outreach programs can not be booked with a workshop or tour component. Maximum one class per booking (approximately 25-30 students).
The “From Many Villages to City” Outreach Program has been aligned with BC’s New Curriculum.
Recommended Grades 1-3.
Duration: 1 hour
$50 / 1 HOUR SESSION
Sign up for our Abbotsford – From Many Villages to City Outreach Program! Abbotsford – From Many Villages to City is a standalone program and cannot be combined with other program offerings. Please note: An outreach booking is good for one class; outreach can not accommodate more than one class at a time.
READY TO BOOK?
Fill out the Program Request Form and our Programs Manager will confirm the date, time and details of your program, along with payment details.
*This program was previously known as “Train Whistles and School Bells”
School Programs
Visit the Trethewey House and Heritage Site
1
HERITAGE HOUSE TOUR
TRETHEWEY HOUSE
Take a journey with us back into the 1920s and explore Trethewey House. This guided tour features stories about Trethewey House, the families that lived in it, how people lived and made a living a century ago.
Duration: 45 minutes
2
HERITAGE GALLERY
THE RIVER PEOPLE AND THE LAND: LIVING WITHIN S’ÓLH TÉMÉXW
The Stó:lō people live along the Fraser River, and have a rich history with the land. The River People and the Land: Living within S’ólh Téméxw exhibit showcases the relationship between people, the land, and what is essential for the survival of human beings. But what would you do without your land, your home?
Duration: 45 minutes
Want to casually learn about Abbotsford’s history at your own pace?
Why not learn about Trethewey House Heritage Site and the history of Mill Lake Park through missions on the Agents of DiscoveryTM app! Agents of Discovery is an educational platform game which allows those of all ages to get out, move and uncover information about the area’s history through a series of challenges, games and questions that can be solved on their own devices. Visitors must be present on the Heritage Site to complete Agents of Discovery missions as the app uses GPS coordinates.
Heritage Abbotsford Society is proud to currently have two missions available to the public:
– Trethewey House Heritage Site mission
– Mill Lake Walking Tour mission
To download the FREE Agents of Discovery app for your device, please visit Agents of Discovery, Google Play or the Apple Store.
UPDATE – MARCH 2018: Agents of Discovery and Heritage Abbotsford Society have won a Heritage BC Recognition Award for Education and Awareness! CLICK HERE FOR PRESS RELEASE
Traffic on Essendene Ave, in the 1910s and today.
Create your own photos like this in the FREE On This Spot app!
Take a walk back in time through the City of Abbotsford’s early days with the free On This Spot history app!
The app includes dozens of vividly recreated then and now photos that put you in the footsteps of historic photographers. Use the app’s camera tool to create your own then and now photos, allowing you to put yourself in historic photos!
The app features two comprehensive and engaging walking tours, plus a virtual tour of the Trethewey House Heritage Site.
The first tour “Abbotsford’s Historic Downtown” charts Abbotsford’s history through the pioneer era while discovering some of the larger-than-life characters and events that have shaped Abbotsford’s development down to today.
The second tour “Matsqui Village” focuses on the unique settlement of Matsqui, the remarkably well preserved Scandinavian settlement just north of downtown, one of the few in British Columbia.
The On This Spot app also offers coverage of 20 more cities across Canada, including Vancouver, Victoria, Nanaimo, Toronto, and Winnipeg. The Abbotsford coverage was developed in partnership with Heritage Abbotsford.
Download the free app now on Apple and Android devices using the links below, or visit www.OnThisSpot.ca!