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T. Kilby Hotel & General Store20th Century, Circa 1908
Kilby Historic Site, Harrison Mills, British Columbia, Canada
Credits:Fraser Heritage Society
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The origins of the Kilby General Store are slightly mysterious. When the Kilby's initially arrived in Harrison Mills in 1903, they took over the management of the Harrison River Mills Timber and Trading Company boarding house. This boarding house was destroyed by fire in March 1906, and it is said that Eliza Kilby purchased two vacant lots from Emma Menten just east of the old boarding house and store in June, and that the Kilby's then began building their store and celebrated the store's opening in August by hosting a dance at the hall. An old invitation card in the Kilby Archives confirms this and reads: "Dance to be held in the Hall, at Harrison River, BC on the occasion of the opening of the Kilby's new store."The mystery arises out of a newspaper interview with Acton Kilby in 1960 which suggests a different beginning for the store. The article quotes him as saying, " … I inherited the store from my father Thomas, who took it over in 1904 … The store's previous owner was the mother of Dr. Maude L. Menten who died last month…"
It is generally accepted today however, that the store was in fact built in 1906, and it was built in two stages. The actual store was built in 1906 and the hotel addition was built on to the rear of the store in 1907. For a few prosperous years, the Kilby General Store was the "hub of the community." The General Store was a grocery store, a drugstore, a hardware store, a clothing store, and a post office all in one.
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The store served purposes other than shopping as well. If a person wanted to mail a letter or have something delivered to another town, they went to the store. If they wanted to catch up on the day's events or stay abreast of Canadian politics, they went to the store. For a time, the General Store also had the only telephone in the community, and local residents stood in line to take their turns using the telephone described as a "crank and holler phone." The store also served a social function, and customers often went to catch up on the goings-on in the community. There was even a checkerboard set up near the wood stove in the center of the store.4
Interior of General Store20th Century, Circa 1967
Kilby Historic Site, Harrison Mills, British Columbia, Canada
Credits:Fraser Heritage Society
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Shopping at the Kilby General Store back then was also very different from the shopping of today. Most grocery items were sold in bulk and were weighed on the scale by the storekeeper and wrapped in brown paper and string. Many goods were also packaged in tin canisters as opposed to the plastics of today. The McCaskey file kept track of the customer's credit, and bartering was favored for a time over the exchange of money.6
Kilby General Store in Background with View of Harrison Mills Houses20th Century, Circa
Kilby Historic Site, Harrison Mills, British Columbia, Canada
Credits:Fraser Heritage Society
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For a time, the Kilby General Store ran concurrently to the Rat Portage Company Store. Both stores seemed to manage financially until 1914, when the Rat Portage sold the stock of their company store to Thomas and Eliza Kilby. At that time, there was a general economic recession and the onset of World War I in Europe. Business also declined for the Thomas and Eliza Kilby and their store was closed at the beginning of 1917. The decline in business may also have been related to the mill closing and the completion of the Canadian Northern Railway in 1915 which made Harrison Mills no longer a necessary traffic junction. They managed to survive on the income from the dairy farm until they were able to re-open the store in 1920. At this time, the building was raised and extensively refurbished.8
Kilby General Store Looking Northwest during 1948 Fraser River Flood20th Century, Circa 1948
Kilby Historic Site, Harrison Mills, British Columbia, Canada
Credits:Fraser Heritage Society
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Unfortunately, Thomas Kilby's health began to decline and his son Acton Kilby took over the store in 1922 along with his wife Jessie, though Thomas Kilby remained postmaster until 1927. Thomas died in September 1928, and Eliza died in March 1929. Acton and Jessie continued to run the store and it remained open throughout the Second World War, and during the Flood of 1948. They ran the store for another twenty years after the flood, until 1968, when Acton Kilby was forced to retire from his position as Postmaster at the age of 77.10
Acton and Jessie Kilby in Post Office20th Century, Circa 1968
Kilby Historic Site, Harrison Mills, British Columbia, Canada
Credits:Fraser Heritage Society
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According to Peter Kilby (Acton's son), Acton had to retire because it was "illegal" at the time to draw income from two federal agencies simultaneously, and Acton was collecting old-age pension as well as receiving a small check for his duties as post-master. After his forced retirement, Acton decided to organize the old General Store into a Museum. In 1972, the Province of British Columbia bought the Kilby General Store and Acton and Jessie stayed on as curators until ill health caused them to retire. Today the General Store is still a museum and is part of the Kilby Historic Site. Most of the items found in the museum today consist of merchandise from the 1920s and 1930s, and the unique experience of this era is remembered in heritage tours and school programs alike.12
Kilby General Store Interior - Hardware Section20th Century, Circa 1975
Kilby Historic Site, Harrison Mills, British Columbia, Canada
Credits:Fraser Heritage Society
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Peter Kilby remembers that the best part of the job of working in the General Store was waiting on people. "I began doing this very early in the game. I remember needing a box to stand on to work the cash register and I had to be able to read and print to fill out the counter slips for people who bought on credit. I was probably in Grade Two as I was an early reader and could copy the descriptions of items from the packaging onto the counter slips. I had lots of funny memories, but I still took every chance to sneak away to the farm to pursue my Tom-Sawyer like pursuits."14
Kilby General Store - Household and Personal Goods Section20th Century, Circa
Kilby Historic Site, Harrison Mills, British Columbia, Canada
Credits:Fraser Heritage Society
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