Fairview Jail - Oliver, British Columbia
Posted by: T0SHEA
N 49° 10.990 W 119° 33.084
11U E 314078 N 5450952
The Fairview Jail is located at the Oliver Museum towards back along the Heritage Garden walking path.
Waymark Code: WM12WPB
Location: British Columbia, Canada
Date Posted: 07/27/2020
Views: 0
Fairview Jail is a small one cell jailhouse that has been relocated to this location behind the Museum. Interesting to note, the museum is home in the old BC Provincial Police building, built in the 1920s. Also of note is an old wooden washing machine that was used in the Fairview Hotel and a display of old mining equipment also from Fairview.
The town of Fairview, a community founded on the riches of gold, silver, and other ore deposits, had a brief but stunningly prosperous existence in this part of the valley from about 1890 to 1910. The old town site is still accessible today, but little remains.
Many of the residents moved down to the new community of Oliver in the early 1920s. Some of the buildings were left behind, others were dismantled, and rebuilt or the materials were reused to build new structures.
One of the buildings left behind was the old jail.
It stood in its original location for decades, being used here and there as an overnight refuge for transient residents, a youth's clubhouse, a stopping point for hikers, a nesting location for barn swallows and mice. It was even used as a cattle shed for a time.
Despite this, it remained in fairly good shape, aside from some vandalism and water damage from its increasingly leaky roof. Time, however, was not on its side. Fearing that it might become lost to vandals, the elements, or wildfire, a group of concerned residents moved it to its current location and restored it.
It now houses a history of mining in the area, including Fairview and Camp McKinney.
Transcribed from sign