Photograph of the Scotty and Elizabeth Walker family property at Twelfth Avenue in Burnaby flooded with rain that froze over. This photograph was taken looking towards Henley Street.
Photograph of the Scotty and Elizabeth Walker family property at Twelfth Avenue in Burnaby flooded with rain that froze over. This photograph was taken looking towards Henley Street.
Photograph of the Scotty and Elizabeth Walker family property at Twelfth Avenue in Burnaby flooded with rain that froze over. This photograph was taken looking towards Our Lady of Mercy Church.
Photograph of the Scotty and Elizabeth Walker family property at Twelfth Avenue in Burnaby flooded with rain that froze over. This photograph was taken looking towards Our Lady of Mercy Church.
Photograph of the Scotty and Elizabeth Walker family property at Twelfth Avenue in Burnaby flooded with rain that froze over. This photograph was taken looking towards Our Lady of Mercy Church.
Photograph of the Scotty and Elizabeth Walker family property at Twelfth Avenue in Burnaby flooded with rain that froze over. This photograph was taken looking towards Our Lady of Mercy Church.
1 album (88 photographs + textual records) + 2 photographs in frames
Scope and Content
Fonds consists of records documenting the lives of both the Waplington and Fleming families who resided at 3813 Deer Lake. Records include a family photograph album; two framed portraits: one of John Waplington and Doris Waplington (nee Caswell) (possibly on their wedding day) and Frances (nee Wapl…
1 album (88 photographs + textual records) + 2 photographs in frames
Scope and Content
Fonds consists of records documenting the lives of both the Waplington and Fleming families who resided at 3813 Deer Lake. Records include a family photograph album; two framed portraits: one of John Waplington and Doris Waplington (nee Caswell) (possibly on their wedding day) and Frances (nee Waplington) and Ray Fleming; a copy of a handwritten memoir "The Way it Was / 1913-1925"; as well as a computer printed copy of "In and Out of / A Cedar Shake Shack" / "The life of a little girl from World War I / to Canada's Diamond Jubilee" both written by Frances L. Fleming (nee Waplington).
Fonds is arranged into series:
1) Waplington and Fleming families album series
2) Frances Fleming manuscripts series
3) Waplington family documents series
4) Waplington family photographs series
History
John (Jack) Waplington emigrated from Nottingham, England in 1904, arriving in Quebec City and continuing on to Ontario before eventually settling in British Columbia. Somewhere on his journey his right hand was crushed in an industrial accident and amputated. Following his recovery, Jack continued to work his way across Canada until he found employment at Stave Falls, B.C. and married Sarah Alice Cogswell (nee Nickerson). Jack and Sarah (nicknamed Cutie) Waplington had three children; Frances Louise Waplington (1913-2004), John Hazen Waplington and Grace Bancroft Waplington.
In 1916, the Waplingtons rented the Walker house at Hill Station on the Burnaby Lake Interurban Line and in 1920 Jack built a cedar shack on 5 acres of land at 4925 Douglas Road (northwest corner of Douglas and Laurel). According to a memoir by Frances Waplington, life was rough living in the cedar shack on Douglas Road with no electricity or running water and by 1925 the family was lucky to purchase "Brookfield", the former home of Louis Claude Hill located at 3813 Deer Lake Avenue. The home was not in good shape having been empty for some time but was located on ¾ of an acre and purchased at a fair price of $1000. The house was surrounded by grass and flowers gone wild and very tall fir trees. The house had running water, electricity and was heated by a wood burning stove in the kitchen and hall and a fireplace in the living room. There was no refrigeration other than the ice box. The three Waplington children, Frances, John and Grace continued to attend Douglas Road School. The family renovated and restored the house at Deer Lake as well as the grounds, adding in flower and vegetable gardens. The large area of grass which formerly housed a tennis court was rolled flat and reseeded. Jack Waplington continued to work for the power company which became B.C. Electric Company and eventually B.C. Power and Hydro. The Waplingtons continued to live at 3813 Deer Lake until 1946 when they sold their home to their daughter Frances who married Ray Fleming. Jack and Sarah Waplington retired and moved to Lasquiti island.
Frances "Fanny" Waplington married Reyland "Ray" Fleming October 11, 1935. Ray and Frances Fleming had three children; John (Jack) Reyland, Edith (Edie) Louise and Sara Maureen. In 1941 Ray was hired by the B.C. Electric Company to work at Buntzen Lake hydro station. There was no housing at the hydro station so the family lived on a 42’ coastal boat, the Cohoe Bay tied up to the dock at Buntzen Lake. Since it was war time, there was fear that the two hydro plants at Stave Falls and Buntzen Lake could be targeted for bombing so the Fleming family had to learn about air raid sirens, bunkers, helmets and gas masks. The children attended a one room classroom at Buntzen Lake and participated in school drills when the air raid siren sounded.
By 1947 the Fleming family moved to the Waplington home at 3813 Deer lake Avenue after purchasing it from Frances’ parents. Ray continued to work for B.C. Electric and eventually B.C. Power and B.C. Hydro. The children walked or rode bicycles to and from Douglas Road School. At the time the family moved into their home there were no buses only the Interurban streetcar to take them to Vancouver. Douglas Road station was the nearest stop to Deer Lake on the Burnaby Lake Line. The closest neighbours were the Oakalla Prison farm (located off of Royal Oak hill overlooking Deer Lake) and the Ceperley mansion. Prison breaks were common and both the Waplington and Fleming families would often hear air raid sirens blare to warn them. The neighbourhood would go on high alert and the children would immediately run home to safety. Mr. Fleming was well prepared with his 22 rifle nearby should it be needed.
After Sarah Waplington died, Jack Waplington returned to Deer Lake to live in a house trailer on the property that was owned by the Flemings. In 1959, after the Fleming children had grown and moved on, Ray and Frances Fleming sold the property to the Municipality of Burnaby. The Municipality rented it out for several years prior to its demolition around 1970 to make way for Burnaby’s Heritage Village.
Frances Louise Fleming received her teaching degree from the Vancouver Normal School at the end of World War II but found it extremely difficult to secure a permanent teaching position as a woman. Between 1944 and 1954, Frances was hired and fired eight times from teaching positions despite excellent reports. Finally in 1954, she was invited to teach in an adjoining district with a permanent teaching appointment to follow. Over the years, Frances taught in Vancouver, Burnaby, Pender Harbour and served as vice principal at Magee Secondary. In the early 1970s Frances was appointed provincial superintendent of schools at Quesnel and then moved to Victoria to be assistant superintendent of integrated and supportive services and then in 1973, she became assistant superintendent of the department of public intstruction. Frances retired from teaching soon after, moving to the Sunshine Coast with her husband Ray. Frances was awarded the Order of British Columbia in 1997, was an accomplished writer who regularly contributed articles to the Vancouver Sun newspaper and othe publications. Ray Fleming died in 2002 and Frances Fleming died in 2004.
Series arrangement is based on physical arrangement of records by donor. Family album was scanned in it's original order and items from within family album were removed and described at item and file level.
Photograph of William Walker, a member of a crew contracted by the municipality to clear the area between Colborne Avenue, Brantford Avenue and Imperial Street in South Burnaby The land was cleared by blasting. The tree in this picture measured 24 feet in circumference.
Photograph of William Walker, a member of a crew contracted by the municipality to clear the area between Colborne Avenue, Brantford Avenue and Imperial Street in South Burnaby The land was cleared by blasting. The tree in this picture measured 24 feet in circumference.
Photograph of uniformed 5th Burnaby Brownies and their leaders gathered together with a trophy as first place winners for their float in the Community Day parade. Brownies and leaders are identified in the Back Row L to R: Dorothy Sloan, June Reimer, Betty Colelough, Patsy Coram, Barbara Bain, Marl…
Handwritten annotations beside photograph read: "Winning Brownies at the 1949 float - with cup." Notes beside photograph read: "Back Row / L-R / Dorothy Sloan / June Reimer / Betty Colelough / Pasty Coram / Barbara Bain / Marlene Grant / Diane Homewood / Jacqueline Howcroft / Second Row / L-R / Mrs. Hebron (Brown) / Eleanor Barons / Dianne Smith / Maureen O'shea / Beverly Wright / Sandra Williams / Mrs. Reimer (Tawny / Front Row / L - R / Judy Beatty / Marilyn Cooper / June Walker / Bonnie Burke / Joane Pate."
Handwritten annotations below photograph read: "Winning Brownies at the 1949 float- with cup"
Stamp on verso of photograph reads: "Capitol Studios / & Photo Services / 4164 Hastings St. / Vancouver, B.C."
Scope and Content
Photograph of uniformed 5th Burnaby Brownies and their leaders gathered together with a trophy as first place winners for their float in the Community Day parade. Brownies and leaders are identified in the Back Row L to R: Dorothy Sloan, June Reimer, Betty Colelough, Patsy Coram, Barbara Bain, Marlene Grant, Diane Homewood, Jacqueline Howcroft; Second Row L to R: Mrs. Hebron (Brown owl) , Eleanor Barons, Dianne Smith, Maureen O'Shea, Beverly Wright, Sandra Williams, Mrs. Reimer (Tawny owl); Front Row L to R: Judy Beatty, Marilyn Cooper, June Walker, Bonnie Burke and Joan Bate.
The W.J. Walker House is a rustic cottage at the eastern end of Deer Lake and is now located within Deer Lake Park. It is a one-and-a-half-storey wood-frame shingle-clad vernacular structure.
The W.J. Walker House is a rustic cottage at the eastern end of Deer Lake and is now located within Deer Lake Park. It is a one-and-a-half-storey wood-frame shingle-clad vernacular structure.
Heritage Value
The W.J. Walker House is important as it references the economic activities in the Deer Lake area prior to the development of grand mansions in Deer Lake Park. It is typical of the cottages built by workers in the market gardening and lumber-milling industries that operated around the lake primarily from 1904-1925. This is the only cottage on the shores of Deer Lake remaining from the era when these industries were the focus of the area's development.
The house demonstrates the aesthetic values of Olive Walker and her husband William J. Walker, a ‘rancher’ (market gardener, poultry farmer) who built the house as a retirement home, in the quality of its construction and interior finishing. The Craftsman styling of the house was a popular design vocabulary of the time and reflected the modern taste and values of the owner. The construction of the house also illustrates the use of locally milled lumber.
The extant cold safe at the side of house is indicative of food storage methods in the early twentieth century and provides insight to the everyday domestic lives of people at this time.
Defining Elements
Key elements that define the heritage character of the W.J. Walker House include its:
- location close to the lake and the site of the Deer Lake Lumber Company where the wood for construction of the house was milled
- Craftsman style characteristics such as the house's orientation (front gable facing the street) and the combination of gable and double-pitched shed roofs
- front entrance with its gabled porch supported by distinctive oversized diagonal brackets, and substantial front door of Douglas fir decorated with hand forged iron plates
- cedar shingle siding
- multiple-assembly wooden-sash casement windows with transoms
- projecting cold safe
- interior finishing that dates to the original construction of the house, such as the diagonally laid tongue-and-groove Douglas fir ceilings, wood panelled walls, and Clayburn brick fireplace
P.I.D. No. 017-105-773
Legal Description: Parcel 'A' (Reference Plan 3703), District Lot 85, Group 1, Except: Firstly: Parcel 'One' (Explanatory Plan 11350) Secondly: Parcel 2 (Reference Plan 35549) Group 1, New Westminster District.
Boundaries
The W.J. Walker House is comprised of a single municipally-owned property located at 5255 Sperling Avenue, Burnaby.
Area
2,005.02
Contributing Resource
Building
Landscape Feature
Ownership
Public (local)
Documentation
Heritage Site Files: PC77000 20. City of Burnaby Planning and Building Department, 4949 Canada Way, Burnaby, B.C., V5G 1M2