Headingley Heritage Centre
Jim's Vintage Garages 

How the Heritage Centre, Jim's Vintage Garages came to be..........

In 2002, Jim and Vivienne Pearn, long-term residents of Headingley, approached the Rural Municipality of Headingley with a very interesting proposition.

Jim and Vivienne were the owners of a very large and valuable collection of automotive and petroleum industry memorabilia which they had arranged and displayed in a building in their back yard in Headingley. They were offering to donate the collection,worth approximately $1,000,000.00, to the Rural Municipality of Headingley.

This set the wheels in motion, that drove a project, which culminated in the creation of the Headingley Heritage Centre, 'Jim's Vintage Garages'.

With the prospect of accepting this donation, a collective community fund raising committee was struck in the fall of 2003 to raise money to build a facility capable of housing this collection. Fund drives were organized,grants were applied,and doors were knocked on.

In February 2004,after acquiring donations from the RM, a Provincial and Federal infrastructure grant, a Thomas Sill Foundation grant, a lotteries Commission grant, and numerous very generous private donations, it was decided to start building.

A natural choice was to build a structure that was attached to the new Headingley Community Centre, which was just in the process of being completed. The Heritage Centre building was started in the Spring of 2004 and completed that summer.

The Pearn collection was then transferred to the new facility in September 2004. It required 27 trailer loads to complete the move.A volunteer committee, made up of several community residents, spent the rest of the winter 2004 and into spring 2005 re-creating the displays.

'Jim's Vintage Garages' was officially opened on May 14, 2005 with a ribbon cutting ceremony. Government officials in attendance were Lt-Gov. John Harvard,MP Stephen Fletcher,MLA Mavis Taillieu,Headingley Reeve Wilf Taillieu and Headingley Council Members as well as numerous representatives of the foundations and agencies who came forward with grants. Lt.-Gov. John Harvard, reeve Wilf Taillieu and Jim And Vivienne Pearn performed the official ribbon cutting.

HOURS OF OPERATION

May to September long weekend

• Wednsday thru Saturday 10:00AM to 4PM
• Sunday     noon to 4PM

September-April:

Tours by appointment: call 889-3132

Admission

Admission free of charge, donations kindly accepted

Membership

• Individual membership     $10.00 per year
• Family Membership          $20.00 per year
• Membership entitles person to free admission to the museum and attendance at the annual general meeting. Memberships must be renewed annually.

Volunteers

This facility is operated almost solely through the generous donated time of volunteers. If you would like to volunteer in our Heritage Centre please call 889-3132 for information.