Hoffmann Site Student Calvin Cheng on his Summer

Hello! My name is Calvin and I am one of the summer students at the museum. I'm a history student at Simon Fraser University and I'll be entering my final semester of studies in the fall. I have always maintained an interest in history since I was young; I enjoyed reading non-fiction books about historical events and civilizations and preferred historical media (novels, films, video games) over other sorts of fiction. I'm also interested in seeing how museums play a role in collecting and managing cultural resources. While the common assumption is that museums are repositories of old objects, I find them fascinating because they are also places that engage the community by discovering stories. Those passions led me to this position; I wanted to contribute to preserving Pitt Meadows' heritage for present and future generations. After my studies, I intend to continue working in the museum and heritage field. Participating in museum operations is intellectually stimulating and rewarding because my work ultimately gives me a deeper understanding of Pitt Meadows' history, and I love the historically related work.

My position at the Pitt Meadows Museum involves three aspects. Firstly, I man the Hoffmann site during the afternoons. It's an old machine shop that belonged to Hans Hoffmann, a long-time resident and local genius in all things mechanical. Come on by and you'll see the unique engines that he maintained during his retirement. Secondly, I have been hard at work on a digitization project. We have half a dozen boxes of Hans' business papers and I've been occupied with scanning and organizing them for archival posterity. It's particularly fascinating reading the little details about the Hoffmanns' daily business activities--I'm ultimately creating a digital resource that others may refer to in the future. Thirdly, I've been conducting historical research and writing for a new display that will showcase the history of the Hoffmann property from 1871 to the present. Did you know that the land's first private owners were Royal Engineers who participated in our province's early development? We even have photos and personnel records of those soldiers, as well as copies of the original land deeds.

I have to thank the current team at the museum for being amazing people to work with. Their dedication to the museum and local heritage has strengthened my intent to continue in this field. The Hoffmann site is open by request outside of the summer months, so call ahead if you would like to come and visit --maybe you too will have a story to share with the museum!

August 2017.