Craigdarroch Castle located on the highest hill in Victoria, BC, built by Robert Dunsmuir, a Scottish immigrant who made his fortune from Vancouver Island coal.
Over the last 100 years the Craigdarroch Castle has served as a hospital in 1919
during WWI. The rooms housed recuperating veterans during and after WWI.
Later in 1921 the hospital vacated and Victoria College was located in the house.
The rooms were changed into class rooms and housing for students to live.
For example the double drawing room became a classroom
for the instruction of English and History. The library was converted into the Registrar's Office.
The formal dining room, fitted with slatted benches, became the math classroom.
The college library was housed in the fourth floor dance hall.
Bedrooms on the second and third floor were converted into classrooms
and offices of instructors.
It wasn't until 1979 that the Conservatory vacated and The Craigdarroch Castle
Historical Museum Society was given the opportunity to operate the Castle
solely as a historic house museum.
My Roadtrek RV has been good to me for two months traveling 9,000 miles on this trip.
There are still 4,500 miles to go back to North Carolina. I hope she gets me home.
The wood for the library is Spanish Mahogany.
There is a fireplace in every room. The fireplace burns coal from Mr Dunsmuir's business.
"Welcome ever smiles and farewell goes out sighing."
Dining room.
Clothes of the 1880's.
Tea set
Stairway window looking down from fourth floor.
View looking off the stair rail.
Guest room.
Fireplace in every room.
Children's room.
Top floor reading room.
Top floor telescope.
Pool table is four times larger than pool tables of the 21st century.
All windows are single pane glass.
Clothing of the 1800's
The stair cases were made in Arkansas and shipped on five rail cars in the summer of 1890.
The house has 2,182 wood panels made in Chicago and shipped to Victoria.
The red slate for the roof was produced in a quarry in Vermont, USA.
Inlayed floor tile in the top floor observatory.
The daughter of Mr and Mrs. Dunsmuir.
Today we had a piano solo by a local student of Victoria College.
Tea Time as served by the servants at the home. Sans head and hands.
Sitting room on third floor.
Tea room
This blog has been able to be written today only because of the generosity
of Comfort Inn in Bozeman, Montana. I have found a "Hot Spot" for WiFi
in the parking lot of Walmart next to the Comfort Inn. Thank you Comfort Inn.
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