An open house this month in Rock Creek was a step toward a heritage conservation plan.
There was activity once again at the old Kettle Valley Schoolhouse property on Aug. 14. An impressive turnout of locals came by to tell their stories and ideas to inform the preparation of a heritage conservation plan for the site.
Folks were enthusiastic, nostalgic and practical in their participation — some shared memories, some helped map out the chronology of the property and one even lent ladders, tools and a hand to give the consultant’s team access to the various parts of the building and even repair two holes in the roof!
The property has been leased from the RDKB to Trails to the Boundary Society. The society is pursuing a project to restore the property, starting with a community consultation and assessment by a heritage consultant. The community consultation component has been ongoing from July until the end of August.
Over the past months, the team has been compiling historic information, stories and ideas by reading books and oral histories, studying old maps and photos and interviewing former Kettle Valley residents who no longer reside in the area...
...The one-room building was originally constructed in 1910 by W.A. Shillcock on land donated by Major Glossop of the Kettle Valley Irrigated Fruits Co. The school was expanded and renovated by J.O. Thompson in 1922. While the building officially closed as a school in 1948, it was used again briefly in the mid-1950s while expansions were underway on the newer school nearby.
For decades thereafter, up until the early 1990s, the building was referred to as the Kettle Valley Clubhouse. A variety of groups and residents in the area used it as a meeting place, or for events, and also as an outdoor rink.
From the Boundary Creek Times