My hometown of Powell River, BC, was established as a single-industry town in 1910. The mill, the first newsprint manufacturer in western Canada and, for a number of years, the world’s largest, was for many years the town’s primary employer. Built on the hill above the mill, the original Townsite was designated a National Historic District in 1995. It remains remarkably intact with over 400 original buildings still within the compact grid that was commonly used in early planned towns. The majority of those were employee houses. 

I lived in one of those houses for the first two and a half years of my life, but unfortunately, I don’t remember which one. Hubby and I might very well have walked right past it when we took a self-guided tour of the historic Townsite earlier this week. 

Our tour started and ended at the Dr. Henderson House. Saved from demolition and now fully restored, it houses the Townsite Heritage Society. It was the first actual home in the Townsite and was built in 1913 for Dr. Henderson and his family when he was hired as the Powell River Company’s first doctor. 

Dr. Henderson agreed to come to Powell River on one condition. There had to be a hospital, so St. Luke’s Hospital was built next door to his home. While no longer a hospital, that building is still in use today. 

Our tour took us to 17 of the original buildings, but I won’t bore you with all of them. One that holds a special place in my memory is the Patricia Theatre, the oldest continuously operating movie theatre in Canada. First housed in a tent with a gramophone for music, the “theatre” literally blew down in a storm! The first theatre building was constructed in 1913, but the Patricia moved into the current building in 1928 and has now been operating there for almost 100 years. I attended my very first movie there when my mother took me to see Peter Pan on the big screen. I was about 5 years old. 

Another building that holds early memories for me is Dwight Hall. The Powell River Company built the “Grand Old Lady of Walnut Street” in 1927 and named it after Dr. Dwight Brooks, co-founder of the Company. In addition to performance and kitchen facilities, the hall boasted a dance floor that could accommodate 800 people! It’s as grand today as it was then and is still the centre of many community activities. I remember going to Dwight Hall to participate in music festivals with my class from school and on one occasion I stood all alone on the big stage to do a recitation. A couple of women from church had talked me into it and I was terrified. I think I still have the adjudicator’s notes someplace. 

The fine brick building that currently houses Townsite Brewing was opened as the Federal Building in 1939. Built at a cost of $50 000, it housed the Post Office, Customs and Excise Office, and the Canadian Telegraph operations.

And lastly, there’s the former Provincial Building, constructed in 1939 at a cost of $20 000. It was home to the BC Police, the courtroom, government agent, relief services, and the jail. Now it’s The Old Courthouse Inn. It boasts eight guest rooms with names like Judges Chambers, Sheriff’s Office, and Old Police Station. Each one is furnished with antiques and collectables.

No, we didn’t stay there. We had a lovely airbnb suite with an ocean view in the part of Powell River called Westview, but I’m sure that the Townsite’s Old Courthouse Inn would also be a fine place to stay. Perhaps another time!