PoMo Museum facts for kids
| Former name | Port Moody Station Museum |
|---|---|
| Established | 1969 |
| Location | Port Moody, British Columbia, Canada |
| Type | Railway Museum |
| Owner | Port Moody Heritage Society |
| Public transit access | Moody Centre station |
| Nearest parking | On site (no charge) |
The POMO Museum helps people learn about the history of Port Moody, British Columbia. It used to be called the Port Moody Station Museum. The Port Moody Heritage Society runs the museum. They want everyone to know more about the city's past.
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Discovering the Museum's Past
The POMO Museum first opened in 1969. It was started by the Port Moody Historical Society. This group later became the Port Moody Heritage Society in 1979.
The museum's first home was on Kyle Street. In 1978, the historical society moved its collections. They moved them to Port Moody's second Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) train station.
The CPR stopped its passenger train service in 1976. After that, the historical society moved the old train station. They moved it by truck to a new spot near Rocky Point Park. The museum officially opened in this new location on July 1, 1983. In June 2023, the museum changed its name to POMO Museum.
How the Museum Works
A group of volunteers helps run the museum. They are part of a board of directors. The museum also has staff members. These include an Executive Director, a Manager/Curator, and a Program & Event Coordinator. Museum Assistants also help with daily tasks.
What You Can See at the Museum
The museum shows the history of Port Moody. It covers everything from early Indigenous people to the 1940s. The Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) helped build the town. Because of this, many exhibits are about trains. You can see old handcars, a boom car, and a velocipede. The train station building itself is also a display.
The Venosta Railcar
In 1986, the museum got a special train car. It is called the Venosta. This was a first-class sleeper car from the CPR. It was built in 1921. The Venosta was part of the CPR's plan to make their trains more modern.
Its name was changed from Glen Otter to Venosta in 1942. The CPR stopped using the Venosta for passengers in 1964. It was then used as a training car. Volunteers from the Port Moody Heritage Society helped restore the Venosta starting in 1987.
The CPR Railway Garden
The museum also has a special garden. It looks like a CPR railway garden from 1910-1912. A curator named Jim Millar started the garden in 2000. It grows many old types of vegetables and flowers. The museum is part of Canada's Seeds of Diversity program. This program helps save different kinds of plants.
The Oral History Project
Since 1975, the museum has been collecting stories. Staff and volunteers have interviewed many people. They talk to current and former Port Moody residents. They also talk to anyone who knows about the city's history. This project helps save important memories.
The interviews were first recorded on tape. In 2004, they were put onto compact discs. New recordings are now digital and saved on CDs. You can listen to the collection on CD at the museum. Volunteers are also working to write down the old tape recordings.
The Postcard Barrel
In 2005, the museum started a unique project. They set up a postcard barrel. This was only the third one in the world. The other two are on Floreana Island in the Galápagos Islands and in Crete, Greece.
The idea comes from a tradition in the Galápagos. In 1793, British whalers put a barrel on Floreana Island. Passing ships could leave unstamped mail there. Other ships would then deliver the mail on their way home.
The museum's barrel is in the old telegraph room of the train station. Visitors can pick up postcards to deliver by hand. They can also leave their own postcards. You can visit the museum to drop off a postcard. Or, you can mail it to the museum. Staff members will then stamp it with the official postcard barrel stamp and put it in the barrel.
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