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Huble Homestead Historic Site is located on traditional Lheidli T'enneh keyoh.
Huble House Centennial
In 2012 the Huble Homestead/Giscome Portage Heritage Society celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Huble House. It kept us incredibly busy, and we were so thankful for your support!
Antique Appraisals Event
The Society hosted an Antiques Appraisals event in February to coincide with Heritage Week in British Columbia. Ted Pappas returned to Prince George as the appraiser for the event, which was held in Art Space (above Books & Company).
The Antique Appraisals event took place over two days, on February 25 and 26; participants bought a ticket for each item they wanted appraised, and spectators were welcome free of charge. In addition to these appraisals, Ted also performed pre-arranged home visits, whcih helped make the weekend a success.
Edward Seebach’s Story Shines
The story of Ed Seebach hasn’t been shared as well as we would have liked these past many years at Huble Homestead, but 2012 saw Seebach’s history come into its own. On May 5 at Memorial Park Cemetery, a relative of Ed Seebach, the Huble family, and members of our Society gathered to remember Ed Seebach and to dedicate a stone for his previously unmarked grave. Learn more by checking out this feature by the Prince George Citizen.
Our 2012 season kick off event was called Seebach Days, and the big highlight was the official opening of the site’s newest exhibit, Seebach’s Cabin. Visitors learned all about Seebach and his role at the Huble Homestead, as well as the types of work he did at the turn of the century, such as trapping, trading and traveling.
Publication of Mr. Huble Builds a House
The first title of the Huble children's book series, Mr. Huble Builds a House, was published in 2012 specifically to mark the centennial celebration. The book tells the story of Al Huble bringing his new wife to live at the homestead and their need for a bigger house. Mr. Huble Builds a House was written by staff of the Huble Homestead/Giscome Portage Heritage Society and was illustrated by local artist June Swanky Parker, who created the original watercolours based on historical information provided to her by the Society.
The book was launched during the season opening Seebach Days event, and June Swanky Parker was on hand to sign copies for interested parties. Mr. Huble Builds a House has since been reprinted and it can be read digitally on our website.
Publication of Huble House
Centennial Cookbook
In addition to Mr. Huble Builds a House, the Society also published a cookbook. A call went out to the community in 2011 to submit their favourite recipes for inclusion in the publication. In addition to the submitted recipes, favourites from the Huble Heritage Cookbook (2001) and The Practical Home Companion (2004) were also selected and added to the compilation.
The Huble House Centennial Cookbook: Family Traditions and New Favourites was published in 2012, and was also launched during the season opening Seebach Days event. To promote the publication, every event during the 2012 summer featured free samples of a recipe prepared from the cookbook. The Huble House Centennial Cookbook is available for purchase from the Seebach & Huble General Store.
Special Events in 2012
The season kicked off with Seebach Days, and the fun continued throughout the year at many of the events at the homestead!
Seebach Days
Sheep & Wool Fair
Visitors learned all about spinning, weaving, felting, and herding! The PG Fibre Arts Guild was on hand to offer demonstrations to visitors, and Top Drawer Yarn Studio taught people how to knit. Outside, visitors could take in sheep herding demonstrations, and the blacksmith shop was operating as well!
Gillian Taylor demonstrates spinning in this video.
This event focused on Edward Seebach and featured the opening of the new permanent Seebach exhibit, the launch of two Huble publications, and heritage demonstrations such as blackpowder shooting and sheep shearing.
Seniors' Day
This annual event offered local seniors the opportunity to visit Huble Homestead, have lunch, and receive a tour for a low cost. Transportation was provided as part of the fee, and a bus was generously donated by Pacific Western Transit. Participants rode out in style, and upon their arrival, were served lunch by the staff.
After lunch, entertainment was provided by the Nechako Community Theatrics, who performed a series of short skits for the appreciative audience. A guided tour was offered, or visitors could relax and wander the site on their own; the bus then dropped participants off at the end.
Dominion Day
A staple on the Huble Homestead schedule, Dominion Day took place on a sunny Sunday, and featured a special pancake breakfast to celebrate July 1st, free birthday cake to mark the country's big day, watermelon and corn on the cob eating contests, and everybody's favourite old-fashioned demonstration: ice cream making! Musical entertainment was provided by Buddy Gouchie, Raghu Lokanathan, Jeremy Stewert, and Peter Stevenson.
Kids Carnival
Advertised as a ton of fun for everyone, this event had something for everybody! Visitors could choose to watch a mask show and take part in a mask making workshop, take in the magic shows put on by The Art of Magic, and witness heavy fighting demonstrations by the Shire of Cold Keep. Guests were invited to relax in the story telling cabin provided by the Prince George Public Library or flex their creative muscles at the Two Rivers Gallery craft tent.
Also on hand was face painting, carnival games with guaranteed prizes, old-fashioned games, booths from different community groups, and blacksmithing and ice cream making demonstrations!
Summer Harvest
This event was a nice, relaxing way to end a very busy season. Taking place over the Labour Day long weekend, visitors were able to purchase vegetables harvested from the Huble garden, and were invited to take in numerous old-fashioned demonstrations, such as blacksmithing, butter, bannock and ice cream making, and canning. Ron Clemmons operated the wood lathe both days, and guests could try their hand at candle dipping in the barn. Music was provided by Eddy Stoltz and Raghu Lokanathan.
Old- Fashioned Thanksgiving
Huble Homestead hosted one of the last events for the season on the Thanksgiving Monday. Always advertised as a chance to get away from the turkey, the weather was beautiful and sunny. Thanks to a very generous donation from Save On Foods, corn featured heavily on the menu, and corn husk dolls were the craft in the Welcome Barn. Families were invited to make scarecrows and to compete for different prize titles: Best Scarecrow, Staff Favourite, and Most Creative. Old-fashioned games and pumpkin carving were popular activities, as was bobbing for apples.
Musical entertainment for the afternoon was provided by Raghu Lokanathan.
Halloween Spooktacular
It wouldn't be the end of the season without celebrating Halloween at Huble Homestead. Held on the last Saturday of October, this event was not only hit by snow, but an earthquake! Despite the support of Mother Nature, the show went on! Magic shows took place in the loft of the Animal Barn, haunted house tours were run in the Huble House, and the fortune teller was open for business.
Add in a haunted maze, a spooky graveyard, pumpkin carving, and crafts, and we had the makings of a very scary Halloween!
Homestead Days Celebrations
Homestead Days is an annual event that has always focused on Prince George's past, and the celebration in 2012 was no different. The event featured a schedule of old-fashioned games and races with different age categories. In the past, the names of the winners would be published in the newspaper, and they would receive small cash prizes. In lieu of cash, winners received gift certificates donated by The Exploration Place, the Railway & Forestry Museum, Books & Company, and Top Drawer Yarn Studio.
In addition to the games and races, the Huble House was brought to life through the efforts of Nechako Community Theatrics. These dedicated actors took on the roles of the Huble family, as well as other local area settlers. Tours ran throughout the day; a special restoration tour with the Curator was also offered over the two days.
Homestead Days wouldn't be complete with a boxed lunch social auction, and there were heritage demonstrations over both days. Visitors to the site could take in soap making, sheep herding, blacksmithing, butter making, ice cream making, canning, skinning for hide tanning, and square dancing. You could even learn how to do laundry! If you had a competitive side, you could take part in the watermelon and corn on the cob eating competitions. Those choosing to relax could have story time with Kayli from Books & Company or take in the music of Greg Gervais, Jeremy Pahl, Peter Stevenson, and Raghu Lokanathan.
Perspectives on the Past Art Exhibit
Over the years, Huble Homestead Historic Site has been featured in paintings, photographs, and many other art forms, with the Huble House the often being the main subject. Perhaps it’s the picturesque beauty of the location, the memories it invokes in the minds of the artists, or the impression its history has left on the landscape, but there was no denying that Huble Homestead inspired the community in a variety of ways.
To commemorate this iconic birthday, Huble Homestead put out a call to artists, and they really delivered. From photography to paintings installations to cake, everybody who participated had a unique perspective on the house.
This delicious version of the house was created by Carla Highsted.
Presentation at the Prince George Public Library
In November, the Prince George Heritage Commission and the Prince George Public Library partnered together to offer city residents an opportunity to learn more about the history of Prince George and the Giscome Portage area. This talk was given by June Chamberland, a founding member of the Society, and Krystal Leason, the Executive Director of the organization. After the presentation there was a question and answer session, and mingling afterwards.
Huble Homestead at Community Events
The Huble Homestead/Giscome Portage Heritage Society wanted to include the community in the centennial celebration, which meant Huble Homestead participated in a number of events in the city of Prince George. From competing in the Great Northern Chili Cook Off at the Spring Arts Bazaar to re-creating the General Store and Huble House in Heritage Lane at the British Columbia Northern Exhibition, staff ensured that members of the public were aware of the year's signifiance to the Society, and that they felt invited to help celebrate the milestone.
Other Activities
Other activities created to celebrate the anniversary included developing a special geocache activity for families and creating a colouring contest for children; all of the entries were then used as part of the Perspectives on the Past exhibit. Finally, a temporary exhibit was put together by the Curator, and was displayed in the Welcome Barn at Huble Homestead. In addition to the exhibit, visitors were invited visitors to share what Huble Homestead meant to them.
