As we read through old newspapers and other resources from the early days of New Westminster, we often come across stories about local objects of interest, just as we might find in The Record today.
Stories of a piece of artwork, some unique furniture created locally, or a particular clothing item might capture the readers' attention.
One old story we noted talked of a walking stick with some intricate silverwork on the handle being sent to England. The silver craftsmanship was that of John Ramage, and the stick was going to a prominent person overseas.
So far, nothing further on that piece has come up, but the possibility of actually finding the item makes it intriguing to think about.
Another story commented on the work of a stonecutter who was creating an impressive grave marker for a person in the Interior.
The article noted that local citizens should go by the monument business in downtown New Westminster to see the craftsman at work and to note the excellence of the tombstone which the reporter proceeded to describe.
In this case, we were able to track down the grave marker in question. Armed with the newspaper article, we headed off to the banks of the Fraser River at Soda Creek, north of Williams Lake, and there, standing proudly and prominently in the Soda Creek Cemetery, was the beautiful marble monument dedicated to Capt. Odin.
Recently we came across another such item in the old newspaper, The British Colonist, that makes us wonder if the noted article might still be somewhere in the area.
The following description of a rocking chair on display in a store window caught our attention.
"In the window of J. Sehl is to be seen an easy rocking chair, the seat and back made lovely by branches of yellow roses painted in oil and crimson satin. They are natural as life. The upholstering work is perfect and reflects credit on the artisan.
"The chair was painted by Miss Withrow and is a present to the Sisters of St. Ann of New Westminster, at whose school the young lady took her initial lessons in drawing."
Perhaps this chair still exists. Maybe it moved to the Sisters in Victoria.
Maybe it is sitting in the home of someone related to a former Sister of St Ann's Academy of the Royal City. Maybe it is in a museum.
We will have to see what we can find out as this beautiful chair would be wonderful to see. As a final "maybe," there may be someone reading this who will send us an email telling us where it is. You never know.
In the past we have had good success seeking out such items, but the one piece that still eludes us is the torpedo that once sat on the front steps of the local Carnegie Library.
