The Clayburn Village Museum
The Clayburn Village Museum is dedicated to preserving the cultural and historical past of Clayburn, BC's first company town.
The museum is open 1:00PM - 4:00PM on Saturdays in the months of June, July & August.
Admission by donation.
We provide private walking tours and museum openings for classes and groups of all ages by appointment.
$5 per person for private tours/openings ($2 for students) minimum $30
The museum is located at 4315 Wright street Abbotsford V2S7Y8 in the first floor of the schoolhouse.
Presented by the Clayburn Village Community Society, a not-for-profit society and is run by volunteers.
Please email clayburnvillagemuseum@gmail.com if you have questions or to schedule a private tour, to donate or volunteer.
The high-quality clays found within Sumas Mountain sustained a thriving brick industry for over 100 years, in 3 different locations in Abbotsford, and it all started in Clayburn with the Vancouver Fireclay Company. The young province of British Columbia was booming, and there was a demand for a local supply of bricks, especially firebricks (refractory brick) which can withstand high temperatures.
It was Charles Maclure with help from his family, who discovered a good source of clay, secured the lands, and found the financial and technical backing to establish the Vancouver Fireclay Company at the base of the west side of Sumas Mountain. In 1909, the company restructured and became Clayburn Company Ltd. Clayburn was always used on the bricks and the name stayed with the many changes of the company until production stopped in 2011 at the only remaining site in downtown Abbotsford.
For 25 years, from 1905-1930, brick and other clay products were produced in Clayburn and the village sustained the workforce of the brick works. Most of the houses were built by the Company and they supplied the land for a school and church, and the brick to build it. The company provided a fresh water source to the village and a sewer system for the plumbed houses, along with sidewalks and streetlights. Tennis courts, a soccer pitch and a ball diamond, as well as a 9-hole golf course were available for recreation.
After the Clayburn plant was shut down, some employees continued living Clayburn and were bussed to its sister site, Kilgard. The brick works were dissembled and the residents were paid ½ a cent a brick to clean and pile the bricks. For the next 10-15 years, the Company slowly sold its assets to the employees, veterans, and locals.
Today, the original 7 brick houses and some of the other brick and wooden homes have been maintained. The church and schoolhouse have been restored and are owned by the Clayburn Village Community Society. The Clayburn Village store was always a private enterprise which still thrives and continues to be the heart of the community.
Cyril Holbrow was born in Clayburn in 1921 and lived in the area his whole life.
He served his country in WWII as a radio operator, and was part of the invasion at Normandy. After his service, he began a lifelong career as a clerk with Clayburn Industries in both Kilgard and downtown Abbotsford.
Over the years, Cyril collected and preserved the majority of artifacts and much of the information in the Clayburn Village Museum. He also was integral with the making of the book, Brick By Brick - The Story of Clayburn and worked closely with Don Bladon, builder of the railway scale model of Clayburn in the 1920’s.
Cyril was a historian and collector and he lived for almost a hundred years. Throughout his life he continued to share the history of the unique little village he grew up in.
The Clayburn Village Museum is in honour of Cyril Holbrow for his dedication to
preserving the history of Clayburn and his contributions to the community.
Come visit the Clayburn Village Museum and learn about
the brick industry, the community that evolved from it
and, the pioneers that preceded it.
