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Photo courtesy of the Friends of the sncəcmałqtn Agricultural Park
By Liam Verster
Historic Barn Restoration

Local group looking to restore the sncəcmałqtn Agricultural Park barn

Nov 25, 2025 | 1:46 PM

A new local group is looking to make repairs to a historic barn in Vernon.

An old barn is located at the new sncəcmałqtn Agricultural Park, and the BX Swan Lake Community Association (BXSLCA) has formed a “Friends of the sncəcmałqtn Agricultural Park” (FSAP) group to act as caretakers and advocates for the site.

Among the first things FSAP wants to do restore the old barn located at the site, as it needs significant roof repairs as well as general maintenance and cleaning.

The FSAP said it began its search for grants and outside funding to facilitate those repairs. However, little is known about the history of the barn, and having that information could help the group secure some funds as many grants require a heritage status.

In order to get the designation for the site, the group asks that anyone with knowledge about the building come forward.

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“I am looking for some one who may have knowledge about who built the barn and perhaps has old pictures of the barn,” Richard Stanks, a member of both the BXSLCA and the FASP, said in an email to Vernon Matters.

“So far I have spent time at the Vernon museum archives and contacted the Vernon Branch of the Okanagan Historical Society (OHS) without success. Looking at the features of this barn I have determined a basic time line of between 1910 and 1925. One of the main features that dates the barn is a track and trolley system for lifting and storing loose hay bundles in the barn using work horses. This method was used prior to modern mechanical innovations that began around 1930.”

Anyone with information about the barn’s history was asked to contact the BXSLCA by emailing bxswanlakecommassn@gmail.com.

The group did not say how much it expects repairs to cost.

by Liam Verster
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