2024 - A Year in Review
February 25, 2025
We would like to make you aware of the Ferndale Heritage Society’s activities for 2024.
The maintenance of the cabins in Pioneer Village was greatly enhanced in 2024 thanks in no small part to the Ferndale Heritage Society being granted $150,000.00 in ARPA funding from the City of Ferndale. Cascade Chinking Services was able to return to work after only a small amount was done in 2023. Chinking was completed on the Rodgers, Jenni & Parker Houses.
Our goal is for the chinker to complete the remaining cabins during 2025.
The Education Program under the Supervision of Julie Aamot hosted 362 students from the Ferndale School District and an additional 454 students from other county schools. This event helps us carry out our mission statement which reads: The purpose of the Ferndale Heritage Society is to educate the community on the history of Whatcom County, promote Pioneer Park and tourism in Ferndale, WA, and bring together those people interested in preserving history and maintaining the log cabins and collections at Pioneer Park.
The spring plant sale raised just over $1400 which allowed us to hire two seasonal gardeners to water and take care of the flower beds around the cabins and near the entrance to Pioneer Park.
Heritage Society Member Josh Andres refurbished the small Jail House Building as his Eagle Scout Project. He included a history of the building, a bench/cot and arranged with the City Park Maintenance Crew to fix both doors so they open easily.
In July we again helped the Old Settlers Association host the cabins during the Pioneer Days event. Cabins were open a limited number of hours each day and only cabins that had volunteers were open.
Our Olde Fashioned Christmas event had record numbers. We hosted over 2500 visitors over the two day (10 hour) event. We appreciated the support from the City of Ferndale and the Ferndale Chamber of Commerce. Special thanks to Mayor Hansen and Council Members Herb Porter and Erin Gunter for volunteering.
The Lighted Christmas Stroll was held the 2nd and 3rd weekends in December. Weather was a factor in the low turnout but still over 1500 visitors came to enjoy the lights and hot cocoa. Special thanks to Mayor Hansen for helping all four evenings!
The set up, take down, and manning of the Olde Fashioned Christmas and Lighted Christmas Stoll events was completed with a total of 1441 volunteer hours.
A large project that was completed in 2024 was the completion of video histories of 12 of the cabins and the Barr Barn. The videos are narrated by Fred Sutcliffe and are his firsthand accounts of the history of the cabins. They are on our newly updated website www.ferndaleheritagesociety.com. One additional video speaks to the formation, history and mission of the Ferndale Heritage Society.
Currently Fred Sutcliffe is working to stabilize and re-stain the pews in the Log Cabin Church.
The pews were becoming a safety concern. He has completed over half of them.
In total the Ferndale Heritage Society logged over 5,100 volunteer hours in 2024.
We have appreciated the on going support from the City of Ferndale especially the new Facilities Manager position, Jeremy Salhus, and look forward to another successful year of preserving history at the Pioneer Village in Pioneer Park.
Ferndale Heritage Society Board