WHY? Vandalism at Fort Nelson Heritage Museum

: Smashed glass; not much of a welcome sight. Photos by Kathy Smith

: Footprints in the snow along the walkway that leads to the front door of the Earl Bartlett House.

: Three of the four buildings struck were the post office, Hudson Bay House, and Anglican church.

: The familiar lady of the house is knocked down in her kitchen.

: Framed photo ripped from the wall of Hudson Bay House.

: Marl Brown hauls the door to the Post Office off the floor and balances it in its frame.

“WHY?” asks Marl Brown, Curator of the Fort Nelson Heritage Museum of the damage done on Thursday October 31st in the wee hours of the morning. Vandal(s) targeted four buildings at the museum with a vicious attack by kicking doors in, breaking windows, and vandalising contents.
“Does this person(s) have something against doors and windows, or was this supposed to be an early Hallowe’en trick? I consider it just plain vandalism. I am referring to the damage done to the museum buildings early Hallowe’en morning including the Hudson Bay House, Earl Bartlett House, the Post Office, and the Anglican Church which we have been restoring.
“Many hours have been spent trying to build one of the better museums in the north, and so far our guest book indicates we are right on track. But I wonder if we are just wasting our time and money repairing and replacing, so that some ‘inconsiderate’ can destroy everything that we have worked so hard to create.
“All the effort it took to do this damage, if turned around to do something good, could go a long way to making your town a better place to live, and a town to be proud of,” says Brown.
Doors on the Earl Bartlett House, the Hudson Bay House, and the Post Office were hit so hard they were torn off their hinges and left lying on the floors or dangling. One of the new windows on the recently re-located Anglican church was bashed in with a globe taken from the Hudson Bay House. Having just replaced all the windows on the church, summer staff had finished replicating stained glass on each, to decorate the church for future weddings and other ceremonies.
With winter closing in, the last thing Brown expected to do was stand out in the cold, boarding up the gaping holes with plywood to protect what was inside. RCMP attended and are investigating. On-site cameras may assist, and police encourage anyone with information to contact them.
If the public wishes to post information on Facebook, which is an effective way to help police, RCMP advises the public to contact them first. Curator Brown and the Fort Nelson Heritage Society say they would also be happy to receive an apology from the individual(s) who damaged these precious heritage buildings.
Submitted by Marl Brown
Curator Fort Nelson Heritage Museum