The Columbia Basin Trust has committed over $2 million to various heritage buildings in the area, including some funds to spruce up the old Marysville School building.
The Old Marysville Schoolhouse will be getting a new coat of exterior paint. Used as a school from 1910 to 1949, the school has already had its interior restored and outfitted.
Owned by the Kimberley District Heritage Society, it is currently open to the public as a museum and used by school classes.
“This project is important as it preserves one of our oldest intact heritage buildings and will provide future generations with a tangible part of our history,” said Marie Stang, Administrator. “We hope that projects like this will encourage others to preserve heritage buildings too, rather than discarding them, so that they may continue to tell the story of our community and its people.”
The Trust also recently purchased the two old wooden grain elevators in downtown Creston. Over 80 years old, the elevators are two of just four wooden grain elevators left in British Columbia. To ensure their existence into the future, the Trust has become their new owners, with essential repairs coming soon.
The Cranbrook History Centre will receive $300,000 to build a train shed to protect its rail cars.
The Trust has committed $7.8 million over three years to support the Basin’s heritage values. The Trust also partners with Heritage BC to support a Basin-based heritage planner who helps local groups and organizations increase their capacity for conserving the region’s heritage.