Description of Historic Place

This two storey house is located at the southwest corner of the Vanderhoof Museum Grounds, bounded by Highway 16 West to the north and Pine Avenue to the east in Vanderhoof, British Columbia.

Heritage Value

The house has historical value relating to the challenges experienced by the first European settlers to the area which is now known as Vanderhoof. It was one of the first homes built by Mennonite settlers in the Braeside area, northwest of Vanderhoof. In 1918, John Reimer built the two storey house shortly after moving his family from Oklahoma, using box-style architecture typical of Mennonite houses of that period. The wood used to build the house was sawn on a steam-powered sawmill, setting it apart from the usual log houses of the area. However, Reimer cut some corners, with drafty walls having no insulation. Because of the unexpectedly harsh winters and the rough terrain, the original Mennonites did not stay here long and within a year, most of them had either died or moved back to the United States and to the prairies. The Reimers sold the house to the Redmonds, whose journals indicate that the house would get so cold that blankets would freeze to the walls. The Redmonds would stay in the house for nearly 20 years, after which it was donated to the Nechako Valley Historical Society and eventually relocated to the Museum Grounds.

Character-Defining Elements

The Character-Defining Elements of this historic place include its:

- Plate glass windows
- Wooden shutters
- Piano
- Phonograph
- Dining ware
- Sewing machine
- Original woodstoves
- Tractor and other historic agricultural equipment