The Luxton house at 206 Beaver Street was built about 1905 and was home to Banff’s Luxton family for 90 years. Norman Luxton, Georgina (Georgie) McDougall Luxton and their daughter Eleanor all played important roles in the development and character of the Banff community. Beaver Street was one of Banff’s earliest residential streets, home to Banff’s earliest personalities, business people and community leaders. At present, the Luxton home is the first in a row of seven historic homes along the east side of the 200 block of Beaver St. This is the only historic streetscape of this extent remaining in the town of Banff. The Luxton home has recently undergone extensive restoration work, including the exposing of an open veranda beneath a later glassed-in porch and the exposure of the original wood siding hidden by layers of stucco and vinyl siding.
Owned by the Eleanor Luxton Historical Foundation, and operated by the Whyte Museum, it was Eleanor’s wish that the home remain intact, as a model of a pioneer home in Banff. The home has been kept as Eleanor left it when she passed away in 1995, a treasure trove of art and artifacts telling the stories of the Luxton family and the town of Banff. Of special interest are the collections of Stoney artifacts, evening gowns dating back to the turn of the century, household collectibles, and taxidermy specimens.
Georgina McDougall Luxton is credited with growing one of Banff’s first flower gardens, making the grounds of the house a very important component in the interpretation of the Luxton home. Eleanor shared her mother’s love of flowers and carried on her own work in the garden. The importance of gardening to the family is evident in the extensive collection of garden-related artifacts preserved in the home. These include tools, catalogues, and seed packets dating back to 1913. The garden is being preserved as a heritage garden.
Eleanor Luxton Historical Foundation
The Eleanor Luxton Historical Foundation was established in May 1995 to implement the bequest of Eleanor G. Luxton, the daughter and granddaughter of Banff and Bow Valley pioneers. The objective of the Foundation is to foster public awareness of the history of Banff and its environs during the century that the Luxton and McDougall families were influential in the community, with emphasis on the careers of Norman K. Luxton (1874-1962: Banff newspaperman, entrepeneur and friend of the Stoney people), Georgina McDougall Luxton (1870-1965: artist, gardener and granddaughter of pioneer Methodist missionaries), and Eleanor G. Luxton (1908-1995: teacher, engineer, historian and collector) in that setting. The historic Luxton home and grounds in Banff have been preserved, restored and are open to the public through Whyte Museum guided tours. The interior of the home has been preserved as Miss Luxton left it, and represents the lives of the three family members and the evolution of a Banff lifestyle over a period of nine decades.
