At the turn of the 20th century, the Scherba family left Ukraine in search of a new beginning in Canada. In 1926, Konstantin and Anne Scherba, along with their combined family of nine children from their previous marriages—both having lost their first spouses in the 1918 flu epidemic—settled in Coldstream.
Konstantin purchased 18 acres of developed, irrigated land from the Coldstream Ranch at $115 per acre, along with 14 acres of undeveloped land for $10 per acre. The family initially ran a mixed farming operation, later transforming 17 acres into orchards in the 1930s, where they grew plums, MacIntosh, Duchess, and Delicious apples, as well as Concord and Niagara grapes.
In 1931, Konstantin and Anne donated land to build a cemetery and a small church for the Ukrainian community in Vernon. By 1935, St. Nicholas’ Ukrainian Catholic Church, which could hold about 40 people, was completed under the guidance of Konstantin and his sons, John and Mike. This church remains the oldest Ukrainian Catholic Church in British Columbia.
After other options for Ukrainian church services became available in Vernon, the tiny church fell into disrepair, hosting its last wedding in 1977. Fortunately, it was designated a municipal heritage site in 1991 and restored.
Some of the Scherba children moved away, while others, including John and Mike, stayed in the Vernon area. Konstantin and Anne were buried in the St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Cemetery after their deaths in 1963 and 1959, respectively, near the church they had lovingly built for their community.
Around the time the Scherbas donated land for the church, the Holodomor—a man-made famine orchestrated by Joseph Stalin’s Soviet government—was devastating Ukraine, killing millions. The Vernon Museum is honoured to welcome author Cynthia LeBrun on September 21, from 1 to 3 pm, to discuss her new novel Black Sunflowers, inspired by her mother-in-law’s experiences in Soviet-occupied Ukraine.
Admission is by cash donation, with proceeds supporting humanitarian aid in Ukraine. To reserve your seat and learn more, visit https://vernonmuseum.ca/events/bc-culture-days-events/.
Archives Manager, Gwyneth Evans