Restoration work is needed for the historic Fairview Jail building, one of the oldest remaining structures of its kind in the Okanagan valley.

Image Credit: SUBMITTED

A fundraising campaign is underway in Oliver and the surrounding area to restore the historic Fairview Jail building — one of the oldest remaining structures of its kind in the Okanagan Valley.

The Oliver and District Historical Society, with support from the Oliver and District Museum, has launched an online campaign to raise $15,000 for the “Historic Gold Mining Town of Fairview BC - 1896 Jail Refurbishment” project, said museum curator Janell Lancaster.

“There was a discovery of dry rot in some of the wood paneling on the old jail building,” said Lancaster.

“We had to replace it. We’ve also worked to ensure that the repairs are historically accurate, so we had the wooden panels custom-made to match the originals.”

The former Royal Canadian Mounted Police and provincial police station was originally located in Fairview, about three kilometres west of present-day Oliver.

The jail building was relocated to its current site beside the Oliver Museum in the early 1980s, where it has remained for more than 40 years.

“The weather has certainly taken its toll, and the building was already close to 100 years old when we moved it here,” said Lancaster. “That’s why the dry rot has built up over time. A group of volunteers and members of the heritage society decided it was time to upgrade this important piece of Oliver’s history.

“It was one of the historical society’s first major projects after it was formed. The building had been sitting unused but wasn’t vandalized or seriously damaged. Volunteers carefully dismantled it and reassembled it at the museum site.”

Lancaster credited Darren Halsted, executive director of the Oliver and District Heritage Society, for leading the refurbishment project and organizing the fundraising campaign.

A large portion of the wooden panels will be replaced, and the building will also receive a fresh coat of paint, Lancaster added.

Although public response to the fundraising campaign has been limited so far, Lancaster is hopeful that media attention and a recent news release will help generate interest.

“We’ve just started, but we could really use some help,” she said. “Oliver is a generous community. We’re just asking people to give what they can — it doesn’t matter how much. If you can afford to give, that’s great.”

In addition to housing a jail cell used for “petty crimes,” the Fairview Jail building once served as an administrative office for the town in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Lancaster said.

Preserving buildings like the Fairview Jail is vital to maintaining a sense of community heritage in small towns like Oliver, she added.

“It’s important to the history of Fairview and the Town of Oliver. This is one of the only original structures still in existence from when Fairview was an active mining town,” she said.

“Many of the buildings from Fairview were moved to Oliver and became part of the original storefronts on Main Street.

“At the museum, we believe that preserving and learning from history is crucial. That’s why we’re supporting this project.”

The former townsite of Fairview served several gold mines from approximately 1890 to 1910, until declining gold prices led to its eventual abandonment.

At its peak, the town had over 500 residents, along with homes, hotels—including the infamous Fairview Hotel—schools, stores, and churches.

The Fairview Jailhouse was left to deteriorate for years before it was relocated by concerned local citizens to the garden beside the Oliver Museum, itself a historical building and former police station.

The Oliver and District Heritage Society, which operates both the museum and archives in Oliver, was incorporated on August 6, 1980, originally as the Oliver Heritage Society.

The name was changed in 1998 to reflect support from the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen and the Town of Oliver.

The society is a not-for-profit organization governed by a board of directors. Its collection area extends south to Osoyoos, west to Fairview and its trading area, east to Camp McKinney, and north to White Lake and Okanagan Falls.

Go here to make a donation.

— This article was originally published by the Penticton Herald

News from © iNFOnews, 2025