Written by Hanyue Zhang 2022 Cohort
On Wednesday, we went on a field trip to a spooky (honestly, it was just peaceful and old) house, the Roedde house. It’s a light green building with wood fences and a large lawn.
Upon entering the door, I saw the harmonious green and printed wallpaper. Then I saw a notice about the green wallpaper. During the Victorian era, a unique colour invented by a British chemist became the top trending colour because it was brightening. But it contained arsenic. So when women wore bright green dresses, they got sick. They would later hand their clothes to their maids, so the maids would also get sick. And the green wallpaper also used to contain arsenic. That was a little scary.
Upstairs, What impressed me a lot was the girl’s room and Anna’s story. It’s slightly more significant than the boy’s room, with lots of bisque dolls in the basket on the ground. Anna Catherine’s portrait sat on the table with many books about first aid and medicine she used to read. She had the same name as another one of her sisters, Anna Henrietta. They lost her when she was only four years old. She ate poisonous berries and didn’t get medical assistance in time. And sadly, as if from an ill omen, they lost Anna Catherine too. When she was 27, she decided to become a nurse. Because, at that time, young ladies from good families were allowed to work taking care of wounded soldiers. One night, she swapped shifts with her friend. She was working on the sideboard and was attacked with a scalpel by one of the patients and killed.
There are other stories about people who came in contact with Roedde’s family, like the architect Francis Rattenbury who built the house for Mr. Roedde and brought some exciting ideas that Vancouver didn’t see before, such as unfitted cupboards. The lifeguard Joe Fortes coached two girls in the family. He was quite a hero because he saved many from drowning. I suggest visiting the heritage house, especially around Halloween; it will be so atmospheric!