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P00004 – Bank of Montreal building restored as the Billy Miner Pub, circa 1980.

P01135 – Taken circa 1910, with the Bank of Montreal under construction.

P02433 – Bank of Montreal, 1929.

Bank of Montreal

After Mary Charlton's husband died, she took over all of her husband's responsibilities in addition to raising their two young sons. She began running the Charlton Store, and was well suited to business. She expanded the family's holdings to include Haney's first bank, the Bank of Montreal, whose building she built and owned. In fact, she built it on what we would consider her front yard. In those days, there were no permits needed to do such a thing.

When the Bank of Montreal opened in Haney in 1911, with three employees, the district consisted principally of scattered farms. Prior to the establishment of the Bank, banking was done through the New Westminster branch. The Bank of Montreal was the first and only bank in Port Haney.

This landmark structure built by Mary Charlton was located across from the Haney train station. It housed the bank from 1911 until November of 1932, when it was damaged by a fire. By then, the Lougheed Highway had been opened, and the Bank, along with many other businesses, relocated up the hill.

The former bank building is a rare surviving commercial building from the pre-World War I era. Simple in massing and detail, a storefront with an inset entry that is slightly offset from centre. Double-hung windows on the second floor are used for the upstairs residence. A simple raised parapet with a decorative railing is used to dress up the front façade. The Bank has been successfully rehabilitated as a neighbourhood pub, and remains in active use today. The Billy Miner Pub officially opened its doors in 1981, with the help of Don and Bernice Gehring. It has since passed to other hands.

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