Bates and Burnett purchased the Brown House in 1946 and became the first decentralized law office in Vancouver. The below photograph was taken at a party held for the two on behalf of 50 years practicing law together. Mr. Bates […]

Mary Josephine Tuomala Hilstrom
Mary Josephine Tuomala Hilstrom (1863-1929) was the mother in law of Mr. Bates. She was also the maid for the Brown family for several years. Below is a biography of Mary written by her granddaughter, Mary Ellen Bates.

William Charles Bates. 1885-1973
William Charles (Billy) Bates was born in Toronto, Canada on 20 October 1885. His mother was born in the United States of parents who were of English and Scotch-Irish ancestry. His maternal grandmother was born in Belfast, Ireland of Scotch […]

June 8, 1960…
Was the date the law firm of Bates and Burnett finalized the sale of the Brown House to James Gregg, who still practices and shares space with us in the house today. Bates and Burnett were innovative in that they […]

Bates and Burnett Article
Mary Ellen Bates, daughter of William C. Bates, an attorney who practiced in the Brown House from 1946-1960, sent me this article. It appeared in The Columbian June 11, 1946. Written by Clark Brown (no relation to Charles) the article […]

Bates and Burnett Announcement
An announcement from 1946 advertising the new location of Bates and Burnett’s law firm hangs in the Brown House. This was the first decentralized law office in the City of Vancouver. They practiced law in the Brown House for 14 […]

Chain of Ownership
1866 Alonzo and Isabella Cook, original owners. June 19, 1874 Charles and Rebecca Brown. Charles died April 19, 1901.

Restoration Brings Historic Home Back to Life
Thursday, June 1, 2006 Three great-granddaughters of pioneer Vancouver banker Charles E. Brown on Thursday walked through the restored house he owned for 27 years around the turn of the 20th century.
Bates and Burnett
The law office of Bates and Burnett was the first decentralized law office in the city of Vancouver. They occupied the Charles