The mission of the Society is to manage and disseminate the historical legacy of the City of Mission and the outlying areas of the Fraser Valley Regional District: Deroche, Dewdney, Hatzic Island Hatzic Prairie, Lake Errock, McConnell Creek, and Nicomen Island. The Society provides active leadership in the areas of historic preservation, historical/cultural education, and community initiatives by offering a wide range of programs and educational opportunities which foster an appreciation for local heritage.
The Society successfully achieves its mandate through the operation of its three branches: the Mission Community Archives, the Mission Museum, and Heritage Places. All branches have part-time staff, and rely heavily on volunteer involvement to deliver the many high-quality programs, services and special events to our fast-growing community. These are designed to empower intergenerational audiences to make personal connections to our community history and become stakeholders in its preservation and accessibility.
Our Mission
The Mission District Historical Society aspires to connect and engage people with Mission’s history by collecting, preserving, and making it accessible to all.
Our Vision
To connect and engage people to make Mission’s diverse cultural heritage meaningful to their contemporary lives.
Our Values
- Cultivate inclusion
- Inspire discovery
- Embrace service excellence
- Be responsible stewards
Our Goals
- Increase capacity of and accessibility to programs and services.
- Promote collaboration with others in the community to maximize engagement.
- Increase organizational diversity.
- Respond to changing political, social, environmental and economic contexts which reflect the community’s expectations.
- Strengthen revenue streams to ensure sustainability.
Meet The Board
• President – Mike Scudder
• Vice-President – Joan MacLatchy
• Treasurer – Barbara Fehrmann
• Secretary – Jim Hinds
• Director – Kyle D’Appolonia
• Director – Polly Betterton
• Council Liaison – Mark Davies
Meet The Staff
• Archivist & Branch Operations Manager – Val Billesberger
• Archives Website Administrator – Kyler Garza
• Archives Assistant – Emily McKimmon
• Museum Collections and Programming Coordinator – Amber Lemaire
Our Logo
The Logo is based upon the Pythagorean Theorem which has been stylized to represent the four branches of the society as follows (Administration, Archives, Museum, Heritage Places):
- the logo has four sides that are linked;
- within the square are four triangles which linked together form the letter “P” in every direction. The letter “P” represents our primary goal. …Preserve and Protect the community’s heritage for present and future generations;
- the tag line – Our Past in Perpetuity – reinforces the intent of the logo; and
- the original colours were modernized in 2020
The logo was designed in 2009 by graphic artist Fred Granzow in consultation with members of the society. Granzow stated:
“my guiding principals in developing the icon was simplicity, ability to reproduce clearly at small and large size, ability to be equally effective in black and white as well as colour, with directionality forward and/or upward”.
Generously Supported by
