Skip to content

Delta throwback: A helping hand for the museum

Her goal was to get more residents involved in the museum to have it more in the public eye
delta-museum-and-archives-mary-brown-1980
Mary Brown looks at an old stereoscope which was part of the parlour display in the museum she originally helped design.

Let’s take a step back in time to March 1980 when a familiar face returned to the Delta Museum and Archives.

One of the original founders of the museum, Mary Brown returned after a nine-year hiatus to contribute her time and talents as a new supervisor.

She said her interest in returning was sparked when she began delving into the history of the pioneer home she and her husband had bought in Ladner.

She noted she was just one of a dedicated group that made the effort to collect the various artifacts that were stored in homes and barns throughout Delta.

When the museum opened in November 1969, Brown was appointed as the volunteer curator.

She said she did not want the title of curator again as she was one of a group of volunteers.

Her goal was to have place to display Delta treasures of the past so its history would not be lost.

When she returned, she said she wanted to involve more people and groups in the museum so that “a bigger proposition of the people feel it is their museum, and not just run by a small cultural group.”