Albion

In 1858 Samuel Robertson, an employee of the Hudson's Bay Company at Fort Langley, settled in the lowland area that is now known as Albion. Robertson chose the easily accessible land across from the Fort, bounded by Kanaka Creek on the north and the Fraser River on the southwest. Kanaka Creek was named for the natives of the Sandwich Islands (now known as Hawaii) who were originally brought to the area by the HBC to work at the Fort. Several Kanakas came to work on Robertson's land. In 1879 a Kanaka, George Apnaut, was elected to Maple Ridge Council.

In addition to farming, local commercial activities included fishing, salmon freezing, logging, and the operation of small sawmills.

By 1898 school was held in the James Robertson home on Baker Road, now 240 Street. In 1904 a local school was built on Joe Baker's property; this building was also used for church services. A separate Presbyterian church was not built until 1910

The residents of Albion originally received their mail from the East Haney post office, but in 1907 local service was initiated at Bob Ritchie's house at the northeast corner of what is now the intersection of Lougheed Highway and 240 Street. The name Albion had been used as early as 1873, but was only officially recognized with the introduction of postal service The area was still unofficially known as East Haney for years.

Log Cabin

25807 100 Avenue
Circa 1900 or earlier

This small log cabin is typical of the earliest vernacular settler's dwellings in the area. The European pioneers commonly built such houses when they first cleared the land, using trees felled on the property to construct a one-room shelter. The original owner and date are unknown.

Jackson Farm

24554-24572 102 Avenue
Farm House Circa 1910

John Jackson owned an 80 acre parcel when he built this large farm house in about 1910. There are also a number of other early outbuildings on the site, that provide a glimpse of the structures typical of a working farm in the era before the First World War. The house is set on a rise, and the rolling farm site has a beautiful outlook to the west.

Spencer Farm Milk House

23448-23498 105 Avenue
Circa 1922
District of Maple Ridge Heritage Advisory Committee Plaque

In 1919 David Spencer's Limited of Vancouver bought about 400 acres, including part of the original Robertson farm. The low lying area on the Albion flats was dyked, and the farm was located both as a dairy farm and as a stop-over for beef cattle from the Prairies. Later Colonel Victor Spencer, one of the sons of David Spencer, became interested in the jersey breed of cattle, and turned the farm into a purebred jersey farm, with a herd of 150 head, including some imported directly from the island of Jersey. Associated Dairies acquired the farm in the 1930s, and it was later used for a variety of purposes.

The property was no longer being farmed when it was acquired by the municipality in 1959, after which it was used as the fairgrounds for the North Fraser Valley Exhibition. The fairgrounds are still owned by the District of Maple Ridge; the milk house is the last remaining original structure on the site built for Victor Spencer.

Log Cabin

24871 108 Avenue
Circa 1900 or earlier

This is another surviving example of a vernacular settler's log cabins in Albion. When the land was cleared, the trees were used to build the first buildings on the site. The original owner and date are unknown.

Hill House

10036 240 Street
1912

Built for Henry Hill in 1912 on his 38 acre property, this is the premiere example of the Edwardian era farm houses in the District. It was built by local Finnish contractor Victor Rossi; the assessed value of the house at the time of construction was $2,500. Its square form is surmounted by a tall pyramidal roof. The bellcast octagonal corner turret anchors a wraparound 'clamshell' verandah with twinned columns. Despite a later coating of asbestos shingles over the original wooden siding, the house is intact both inside and out. Its location on a prominent rise of land makes the house a local area landmark.

Current plans call for the site to be developed with new housing; the Hill House will be moved down to the lower level of the site, and placed on a new foundation.

Kimola Residence

10104 248 Street
1930

Victor Kimola built this house on an eighteen acre site in 1930; the assessed value at the time of construction was $1,200. It is an example of the late influence of the Craftsman style, and features twin- coursed shingle siding, triangular cave brackets and tapered porch columns. The double-hung windows have arched insets in the upper sash. The Kimola residence has been well-maintained, and the site has been enhanced with sympathetic plantings.

Residence

23423 Lougheed Highway
Circa 1912

This beautifully-designed Craftsman bungalow has an inset open front verandah with square columns, twin-coursed shingle siding, scroll-cut vergeboards and multi-paned double-hung windows. Located at the corner of Lougheed Highway and 105 Avenue, this property was at one time legally combined with the Spencer farm, but the house may date from earlier. The site is well landscaped, with a mature cherry tree, hollies, and mature maples.

Residence

23283-23289 McKay Street
Circa 1910

This basic Edwardian bungalow has a simple rectangular plan, with a bellcast hipped roof and full open front verandah, supported on square chamfered columns. The site contains a number of tall mature black locust trees. Although it is located right next to the riverfront and the wharf at the foot of McKay Street, its connection to the riverfront is unknown.

Langley Indian Band Cemetery

Lougheed Highway

Located to the eastern end of Albion is this native burial ground, that dates back to at least 1876. A number of the headstones date to the 1880s, and there are many different types of markers, including iron crosses. The cemetery remains an active burial ground today.