Trethewey House Heritage Site

Trethewey House was built near the shores of Mill Lake in 1919 by provincial lumber baron Joseph Ogle “J.O” Trethewey. As President of the Abbotsford Lumber Company between 1919 and 1927, he led the company during their boom years in the 1920s. The House has undergone extensive restoration work and has been restored to c. 1925 with the help of local families and assistance from the provincial government through the BC Arts Council and Direct Access Gaming.

On the site, you can also find our Heritage Gallery, which holds our The River People and the Land: Living Within S’ólh Téméxw exhibit. This exhibit encourages individuals to explore their community from an Indigenous perspective; you can also examine important topics such as historical moments in S’ólh Téméxw, significant historic junctures for the Stó:lō, and important terminology (e.g. unceded). In addition, our historic site contains Joey’s Playhouse, the Upper Sumas British Columbia Electric Railway (BCER) train station, and the Sylvia Pincott Heritage Garden.

Tours of Trethewey House and the exhibit are available by donation during the week. Group tours for 5+ people are also available by appointment and are approximately 45 minutes in length. Programming is offered year-round and includes guided and self-guided walking tours, speaker series, special events, day camps and more. We also have three tours, two-self guided and one virtual, provided on the On This Spot App that is free to download onto your own device.

Trethewey House Heritage Site is operated by the Heritage Abbotsford Society, a registered non-profit with the mission to be the memory of the community by preserving and interpreting its history.

Trethewey House Heritage Site will be host to the Aboriginal Arts & Culture Day activities in June. Click Here for more details!