About Us

Our Mandate

The Creston Museum is operated by the Creston & District Historical & Museum Society. This is a non-profit society and registered charity, whose mandate is to collect, preserve, and present the human history of Creston, BC and surrounding area.

The Historical Society undertakes the following:

The Creston Museum is a community-history museum located in Creston BC. We tell the story of Creston and the surrounding communities: the people, the industries, the events and organisations that have made the Creston Valley what it is today.
  • To make the history of the Creston area accessible to everyone
  • To offer dynamic and engaging interpretations of all aspects of local history and its relation to a broader history
  • To serve as a resource for researchers, community leaders and organisations, teachers, and the public.

Our Staff


Alyson

Alyson Small is our Research Curator, responsible for a lot of the behind-the-scenes work of preparing exhibits and programs. You’ll also see her working with visitors and tackling a multitude of other tasks.

Email Alyson

Jarrett

Jarrett Sabiston is our amazing maintenance person. He keeps this place ticking all year long! From little fixes, to gutters, to drywall... he does it all! Give him a hello if you see him on your visit!

Our Services


Archives

  • Newspaper archives
  • Photo and document collections
  • Research services

Museum

  • Extensive exhibits
  • School programs
  • Year-round on-site and off-site public programming
  • Seasonal events
  • Community event support

Other

  • Gift shop
  • Picnic area
  • Online resources
  • Rental spaces for meetings, reunions, parties, etc

Our History

Affiliations

  • Member, Creston Valley Chamber of Commerce
  • Member, Community of Creston Arts Council
  • Member, BC Museums Association
  • Member, Archives Association of BC

Board of Directors

When the Historical Society was established in 1971, its primary function was to manage a small archival collection, provide information on local historic buildings, and house a very small collection of artifacts. In 1979, when the nearby Yahk Pioneer Park Museum declared bankruptcy and attempted to sell its collection at auction, the Historical Society obtained a court injunction to stop the sale and bought the collection. A stone house was purchased in 1980, extensive renovation work was carried out, and the Creston Museum opened its doors to the public on September 12, 1982. A storage building was built in 1986, and an open-fronted shed was built in 1995 to display and protect the larger objects in the collection. The Archives, formerly housed in a room at Town Hall, was moved into the storage building in 1994, and a climate-controlled, fire-proof vault was added in 2001.

Until 1996, the Historical Society depended on a community bingo hall and various other fundraising methods for its financial support. When the bingo hall closed, the Historical Society successfully went to referendum and obtained core funding through taxation. This enabled the Historical Society to hire a manager, the first full-time employee in an organisation that was previously run entirely by volunteers.

For a more in-depth history, click here.

  • President:
  • Vice President:
  • Secretary: Brenda Draper
  • Treasurer: Lou Knafla
  • Bunny Raddis