A recent donation from the Delta Agricultural Society has pushed a heritage project in Ladner’s Hawthorne Grove Park over the top.
During Canada Day festivities at Kirkland House, the Kirkland House Foundation accepted a $22,000 cheque from the society, which will allow the foundation to complete its agricultural display barn.
Three years in the works, the project pays homage to Delta’s agricultural heritage.
The foundation entered into a cost-sharing agreement with the City of Delta for up to $200,000, but according to Matt Rogers from the foundation, the funding fell short.
“The Delta Agricultural Society really came through for us,” said Rogers.
The agricultural display barn is located just beyond a grove of nut trees behind the historic Kirkland House on Arthur Drive. The major piece of equipment on display is the original 1923 Kirkland Farm thrashing machine that had been stored in a barn in East Delta.
“That kept this important piece of heritage in Delta, so that was a real incentive for us to start this project originally,” said Rogers. “We are working on putting in a few more pieces of equipment that will complement the thrashing machine. Some of the newer equipment, from say the World War Two era to 1960, will also go inside. But we don’t want to pack the space. We want people to be able to come inside, look around and move around the displays with ease.”
Rogers said the donation from the Delta Agricultural Society allows them to complete the final detail work and finish the displays.
“This is all about our identity in Delta – a collective sense of community – farming,” Rogers said. “It’s really important to preserve this history. It’s not all new. It’s about where you came from and where you fit in.”
The public can check out the displays on Wednesday mornings and Saturdays when the Kirkland House grounds are open.
