History
of the Gabriola Museum
Following several years of fundraising, including monetary and in-kind donations from the community, the Museum officially opened its doors to the public in 1995.
The Gabriola Historical and Museum Society was founded on March 25, 1986. The location for the Museum was secured when Stan and Maxine McRae generously donated acreage of land on South Road in 1993.
On September 16, 1995, following several years of fundraising, including monetary and in-kind donations from the community, the Museum officially opened its doors to the public. The original building and surrounding grounds include exhibits, the archives containing historical documents and artifacts, and a gift shop featuring local artisans.
The Museum celebrated its 25th anniversary in September 2020, with an open house and a self-guided historical tour of the Island.
In November 2020, the Museum purchased an additional 19 acres of land on South Road, 18 of which is the McRae conservation covenant, a protected nature reserve.
Bricks for the new museum
Historic bricks collected from the Gabriola Brickyard, to be used for construction of the Museum building.
Read the articles below to learn more
Early Days of the Gabriola Museum
The vision and tenacity of the group of volunteers who came together initially in 1986 and who worked tirelessly for nine years to transform their dream into reality is part of that same innate desire to collect, preserve and interpret history and the environment that has given rise to the creation of museums since time immemorial. … read more
Gabriola Museum Purchases McRae property for the Community – includes public trails and a nature conservation covenant
Yes, it’s official! The Museum stepped up and purchased the McRae property – securing the public access trails and holding the responsibility of the conservation covenant as created by the late Stan and Maxine McRae. …read more