General Tour Information

All tours are held in the City of New Westminster, are free and there is no need to register. The tours last between 1 ½ and 2 hours and go rain or shine. Your tour guides, Archie and Dale Miller, highly regarded, popular leaders for such walks, are known for always having the historical facts and accounts at hand while keeping the whole event light and entertaining.
If you have questions about the tour, difficulty level of its route, or want to confirm that a tour is going ahead in spite of weather problems or other factors on the day of the tour, call the tour leaders at 604-526-6113. You can also email them at <information@senseofhistory.com>
Always wear comfortable footwear and carry water, especially on hot days. The tours are scheduled later in the day in summer months to reduce the effects of the sun, but a hat, appropriate clothing, and sunscreen are always a good, health conscious idea.
Separate media releases will be issued to promote each of the upcoming tours. These releases will contain up-to-date information about the tour and often newly researched findings that enhance the tour itself.

* Please note that the tours are subject to change in theme and route but any change will be announced well in advance of the tour date.

About the Tours and Tour Leaders
Archie and Dale Miller (A Sense of History) are well known for their abilities with walking tours, cemetery tours, presentations, and other historical and heritage themed programs. Many groups, school classes, and others regularly arrange for tours by A Sense of History because of the excellence of presentation, the comprehensiveness of preparation, and the attention to detail. Archie and Dale are pleased to offer this set of free tours to the community as part of their ongoing work with the City's history and as a way to encourage others to learn more of their community's story.

Tour: April 15, 2012
A Walk Around Queen's Park: Park History as Seen from Its Millennium Trail
This tour on Sunday, April 15, 2012, will start at 1:30 pm in front of Queen's Park Arena and will end back in the same general area. The tour will last 1 ½ to 2 hours, goes rain or shine, and there is no need to preregister.

The piece of land now known as Queen's Park received its name at the time of the Jubilee Year of Queen Victoria in 1887. With that fact as a link to the past, and in keeping with 2012 being Queen Elizabeth II's Jubilee Year, this tour will follow the park's millennium trail around the site and will focus on the various historical connections that can be seen from the walkway -- looking both into the park and out from it. See the Historical Society presentation in July for an illustrated look at the park's story from its "jubilee" beginning. Note: This program is not part of the City of New Westminster's present ongoing park master plan project.

Tour: May 6, 2012
A Sapperton Tour - One of Two for 2012: East Columbia, The Brewery District and More.
This tour on Sunday, May 6, 2012, will begin at Sapperton Park, located at the corner of East Columbia Street at Sherbrooke Street, at 1:30 pm. The tour will end in the same area. The tour will last 1 ½ to 2 hours, goes rain or shine, and there is no need to preregister.

With so many things happening in the Sapperton neighborhood of New Westminster this year, two walking tours to feature some of this development and the history of the area have been scheduled. The first of the pair will walk from Sapperton Park south along East Columbia Street to the corner of Brunette Avenue and return. The major points will note the Brewery District with the new Thrifty's Foods store and many buildings to come on the site, some of the brewing history of the city, and part of the 150 year anniversary of Royal Columbian Hospital (RCH). Included will be some churches, an orphanage, a few houses of interest, some early businesses, two schools, mill workers bunkhouses, streetcar lines, and a brief bit on Sapperton Park itself. A more complete look at the park and RCH will be included in a tour in July.

Tour: June 3, 2012
The "Masonic Buildings" of Downtown New Westminster Plus An Early Skyscraper
This tour on Sunday, June 3, 2012, will start at 1:30 pm at the corner of Columbia Street at 4th Street in downtown New Westminster (north east corner where the tour guide will be waiting). The tour will last 1 ½ to 2 hours, goes rain or shine, and there is no need to preregister.

The story of Freemasonry in New Westminster and the various buildings that have been the homes of the group’s many lodges comprise an important and intriguing part of the City's history. Beginning in late 2011 and continuing into 2012 local Masons have been marking their 150th anniversary. This tour will point out and discuss the locations and accounts of the sites and buildings that have housed the many Masonic Lodges of the Royal City from 1861/1862 to today. All but one of the sites is on Columbia Street with the present location being on Agnes Street in the 500 block. Included will be references to some Masonic events that have taken place on downtown streets and locations.

Also on this tour will be comments on the Westminster (Trust) Building that is marking its 100th anniversary in 2012. A prominent landmark structure, a very early "skyscraper", this building has an important place in downtown history and sits in the same block as one of the "Masonic" buildings.

Be sure to watch for a second Masonic themed tour on June 24, 2012, that will visit the former Masonic Cemetery, now a part of the City's Fraser Cemetery. An illustrated talk at the New Westminster Historical Society on Wednesday, June 20, at the New Westminster Public Library will cover some local Masonic history.

Tour: June 24, 2012
A Walk in Fraser Cemetery: The Former Masonic Cemetery - An Anniversary Tour

This tour on Sunday, June 24, 2012, will start at 1:30 pm in front of the Fraser Cemetery office located at 100 Richmond Street in the Sapperton neighborhood of New Westminster. The tour will last 1 ½ to 2 hours, goes rain or shine, and there is no need to preregister.

The Freemasons formally began their first lodge in New Westminster with meetings in late 1861 and into 1862. This year is their 150th anniversary and in honour of that date a tour will be held in the former Masonic Cemetery, now a section of Fraser Cemetery. The tour will talk of the burial ground's original layout, symbols, and features, and introduce a number of the prominent Masons who are interred at the site.

Tour: July 15, 2012
A Sapperton Tour - The Second of Two for 2012: East Columbia, the Hospital, Sapperton Park, a Movie Theatre and More.

This tour on Sunday, July 15, 2012, will begin at Sapperton Park, located at the corner of East Columbia Street at Sherbrooke Street, at 3 pm. The tour will end in the same area. The tour will last 1 ½ to 2 hours, goes rain or shine, and there is no need to preregister.

With so many things happening in the Sapperton neighborhood of New Westminster this year, two walking tours to feature some of this development and the history of the area have been scheduled. The first was in May and walked south along East Columbia Street from Sapperton Park while this second tour will also start at the Park and then proceed north along East Columbia to Braid Street. This tour will feature more information on Sapperton Park, the Royal Columbian Hospital that is celebrating its 150th Anniversary this year, and a prominent community church. Also included will be stories of businesses, an early theatre, a bowling alley, a restaurant or two, streetcar lines and an occasional boxcar, and an artifact from the 1912 hospital.

Tour: August 12, 2012
Royal Columbian Hospital: For its 150th Anniversary Some Interesting, Intriguing, or Curious Stories

This tour on Sunday, August 12, 2012, will start at 3 pm in front of the Fraser Cemetery office located at 100 Richmond Street in the Sapperton neighborhood of New Westminster. The tour will last 1 ½ to 2 hours, goes rain or shine, and there is no need to preregister.

The Royal Columbian Hospital is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year: 1862 to 2012. In honour of this auspicious anniversary two cemetery tours are planned in Fraser Cemetery and St Peter's Cemetery focusing on hospital and medical themes. This first tour will focus on a series of interesting, intriguing or curious stories about a selection of folks who eternally rest in this picturesque and historically important burial ground. Some of the stories on this tour will be presented for the first time while others will come from the Sense of History collection from former tours such as "the health of your family tree" and the "unnatural death" series.

Tour: September 9, 2012
Royal Columbian Hospital: A Cemetery Tour for its 150th Anniversary

This tour on Sunday, September 9, 2012, will start at 1:30 pm in front of the Fraser Cemetery office located at 100 Richmond Street in the Sapperton neighborhood of New Westminster. The tour will last 1 ½ to 2 hours, goes rain or shine, and there is no need to preregister.

The Royal Columbian Hospital (RCH) is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year: 1862 to 2012. In honour of this auspicious anniversary two cemetery tours are planned in Fraser Cemetery and St Peter's Cemetery focusing on hospital and medical themes. This second tour will feature a number of individuals with strong connections to the history of RCH. Included will be people involved with the inception of the institution in 1862 as well as doctors, nurses, and staff, and a few with interesting ties to the hospital sites either at 4th St at Agnes St (1862 to 1889) or Sapperton on East Columbia St (1889 to the present).