INNISFAIL - There is a new and inspired glow to the 129-year-old Sinclair House.
More than four months after receiving special funding of $8,050 from the Town of Innisfail for urgently needed restoration work, the historic log house is gleaming at its new home in the Innisfail & District Historical Village with a new exterior paint job and full protection from further weather battering.
"By the time these fellows (volunteer workers) are done we would have protected these logs against any further erosion," said Anna Lenters, president of the Innisfail & District Historical Society.
The two-storey pioneer house was the pioneer home of David and Isabella (Bella) Sinclair, the latter believed to be the first Caucasian woman to have settled in Central Alberta. The structure was hauled 13 kilometres last December from the Thomson acreage west of town to the Innisfail & District Historical Village. However, the house, which had not been occupied for more than 30 years, required urgent repairs to its leaky roof, as well as in the interior.
Last April the town stepped in to provide the society with $8,050 to fix the roof and add eavestroughs. Since then, the society has been able to acquire smaller donations, along with in-kind support and sweat equity, notably from skilled volunteer help from Bowden Institution inmates. Lenters said the total value of support, including the town's contribution and in-kind donations since last spring, is valued at just under $20,000.
Last week Lenters said the roof has been reinforced and squared up to support the weight of the new shingles, which, she added are a heavier rubber compound. She said the shingles, which were purchased at cost, came with a 50-year warranty. Innisfail Co-op provided all the materials for the completion of the exterior painting, said Lenters.
"We accomplished more this summer than I personally thought we would. With Tom (Hunter) taking the lead, along with Lawrence (Gould) they have taken all those dollars and stretched them until they could squeak and we were able to get this far," said Lenters, adding last week the necessary protective work would be completed by Sept. 7, three days after the village was shut down for the season, excluding special events.
She said all the restoration work this past summer will not make the structure ready for the public to view or use but it will be fully protected from the elements, a major concern for the society and for town officials.
Lenters said the next restoration step is for volunteers to work with the original glass from the windows and reframe each one for installation next spring. She said the next stage will also see the main floor being developed, hopefully next year depending on the availability of funding and tradespeople. Eventually, she added, museum officials want the first floor to be a children's classroom with another part being a museum to tell the story of life during Central Alberta's pioneer days. There are also plans to add a front deck and a handicapped ramp. Lenters said finalized plans have not yet been made for the second floor.
The completed initial restoration work on the pioneer home follows a reunion at the village last month of one branch of the Sinclair family.
"It (historic house) was very well received," said Lenters of the reaction by the Sinclair family on Aug. 11. "Some knew of their family background, many of them did not. So we were able to share with them stories about their great-great-grandparents. They in turn gave us more information. It was wonderful."
