A Testament to
Community Connection:
Whether you've come for opening day in May, the annual plant sale and swap, Indigenous Days, a garden tour & Victorian luncheon, a tribute, Founder's Days, a Wedding, the annual Christmas Sale, or an interactive Education Program, the 1911 Camrose Heritage Railway Station & Park is overflowing with life! It is a place where the past speaks volumes to the future, one story, one picture, one artifact, one experience at a time. No matter what season you pop in, there are a number of things you are bound to discover:
-There are bound to be blooms in the glorious gardens, waiting to be wandered. -Warm hospitality awaits in the authentic station officers work and living quarters, elephant gift shop, meeting rooms, & King George parlour, not to mention the bunk houses and night watchmen's quarters -The station is a hub of activity for experience based connections with railway and ecological wisdom. -You will leave with far more of an awareness than you arrived with, about the history of the rails, local community, horticulture, and life at the turn of the last century, thanks to passionate volunteers and historians who give of themselves consistently, to keep the spirit of the museum alive and well! |
The Camrose Heritage Railway Station & Park recently dedicated a Victory Garden to long time supporter and visionary, Murray Roy.
The photo above shows dedicated volunteer of 16 years, Glenys Smith, beside one of the many interpretive signs at the Station.
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The photo above shows the 1923 addition to the station. To hear Director Glenys Smith offer some background on local Railway history, and the buildings on site, click on the box below.
The photo to the right shows one of the gift shops in the Railway Station in Camrose. It is a visible declaration of the community's support, since all of the items are donated. The museum is overflowing with gardens, none of which would have been here without Glenys Smith, and many others who have come along side. With blooms almost always in season, the gardens have been known to draw a crowd of visitors.
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Generations at Play:
Little explorers are more than welcome at the museum! A real live Secret Garden awaits, specially sized just for them. There are dress up clothes at the ready, hands on toys and bicycles, even their own Speeder to play in! Did I mention the Thomas style train waiting? Pack up the tiny humans. You simply need to go!
The Morgan Garden Railway:
You will be amazed when you wander into the Garden Railway. There, you'll find made to scale replicas of significant local buildings like the Duhamel St. Thomas Catholic Church, the Meeting Creek Station, historic town houses, and so much more!
Experience Based Education:
Hundreds of children come to the Heritage Railway Station to actively connect with the world around them ecologically, socially and historically. Programs involve outdoor and indoor adventures that encompass all of the buildings and areas of the station. The museum has published historians at its core, who have been generous in sharing their knowledge, both through guided and individual tours, with heaping helpings of interpretive information. Learning, after all, is for life!
Night Watchman's Quarters:
The grounds at the Station Museum holds many out buildings, all of which tell stories of their own. One, saved from ruin, was the Watchmen's Shed. In the small cabin you'll find detailed information on the last person to fill this important role, along with many intriguing artifacts from days, and nights, gone by.
Final Destination:
"My Daddy's body would be transported back to Camrose to this very railroad station. As the whistle blew in the distance, I knew it would be his last destination." To read the tribute to Corporal Fred August Wagner, in which the Camrose Heritage Railway Station plays a central part, click on the file below. The memoire was written by daughter, Rita Wagner Nyback, dictated and compiled by grand-daughter, Judy Nyback Louis.
Rita Wagner
in_remembrance_of_corporal_fred_august_wagner.pages.zip | |
File Size: | 297 kb |
File Type: | zip |