Research

salishan Place by the River offers in-house resources for researchers and the public. Special research requests are by appointment only to ensure staff and appropriate materials are accessible and available.

Contact us at 604-532-3536 or museum@tol.ca for further information or to make an appointment.

In addition to the available research materials listed below, you can browse our collections of photographs, artifacts, art, and archival documents by viewing our collections here.

In-house resources

  • archive holdings of non-government records
  • historic maps
  • resource library containing books about: 
    • BC history
    • Langley heritage homes, including some out of print titles - some titles are viewable online at Publications about Langley.
    • Langley people and places 
  • reference clippings files: 
    • buildings and places
    • businesses/industries
    • events
    • family histories
    • landscapes (cemeteries, parks, etc.)
    • local issues/concerns
    • neighbourhoods
    • obituaries
    • organizations
  • microfilm of historic and local newspapers, including:
    • The British Columbian, 1860-1869; 1890-1931
    • The Columbian, 1899-1919
    • The Valley Sentinel, March – May 1921
    • The Langley Advance, 1931-1996
    • The Aldergrove Star, 1974-1995
  • bound and unbound copies of:
    • Aldergrove News/Aldergrove Star, 1957-1975
    • Fort Langley Star, 1969-1977

Publications about Langley and Langley people

All publications listed below - along with unpublished papers, manuscripts and reports - can be found in the resource library and are available during regular operating hours. 

The following books may also be purchased at the Museum:

  • Philip Jackman: The Last of the Royal Engineers in British Columbia, by Virginia Cooke (2018)
  • Canucks in Khaki, By Warren Sommer (2017)
  • Nothing without Effort, by Warren Sommer (2008)
  • Places of Her Heart, The Art and Life of Barbara Boldt, by Jane Watt (2013) 
  • Frail Memorials: The Cemeteries of Langley, by Warren Sommer (2005) 
  • Langley's Heritage: A Listing of Heritage Resources Second Edition 1999 (under revision) 
  • Roads & Other Place Names in Langley B.C by Maureen Pepin (1998)

The Langley Centennial Museum also publishes a series of occasional papers relating to the people and places in Early Langley. Currently, available titles in the series are:

  • Charlie Kwil.thlay.lim and the Department of Indian Affairs Reports, EARLY LANGLEY/Issue 4, by James Gaffney (2008)
  • Aboriginality in Early and Present Day Langley, EARLY LANGLEY/Issue 5, by Brandon Gabriel (2008)
  • The Berry Family: Belmont Farm ed. K.J. Watt (2006) 8 pp.
  • The Blair Family: Langview Farm ed. K.J. Watt (2006), 12 pp.
  • The McKay Family: A Glen Valley Farm ed. K.J. Watt (2006) 12 pp.

The following books are available for consultation in the Museum's Resource Library:

  • From Prairie to City: A History of the City of Langley by Warren Sommer (1999)
  • Langley 125: A Celebration by Warren Sommer and Kurt Alberts (1998)
  • The Fort Langley Journals, 1827-30 edited by Morag MacLachlan (1998)
  • The Hospital on the Hill, A History of the Langley Memorial Hospital by the Hospital Committee (1997)
  • The Place Between, Aldergrove and Communities by Alder Grove Heritage Society (2 volumes, 1993; 2001)
  • The Fraser Valley: A History by John Cherrington (1992)
  • 1990 and Counting: A History of Sharon United Church by the Sharon United Church (1989)
  • The History of the West Langley Community Hall by Besie Shuman (out of print) (1981)
  • The Langley Story by Donald Waite (1977) (out of print)
  • The Legends of Langley, Langley Centennial Committee, 1958 (out of print)
  • Fort Langley, Outpost of Empire by Bruce McKelvie (1947) (out of print)