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This page last updated June 18, 2002
Just across the tracks (closer to the river) from the St. John the Divine Church, the centrepiece of historic Yale, is one of the oldest houses in the province. Built about 1863 for Johnny Ward, a teamster with the famed BX (Barnard's Express), the modest house only gives away its approximate age by its shape--side gables and a hipped-roof front porch. It is unadorned with fancy trim of any kind, and its original siding has been covered with asphalt or asbestos shingles. It was purchased about 1992-3 by the provincial government and is used as the home for the curator of Historic Yale, the museum complex including St. John the Divine Church.
There is more to write about Yale and the attempts to purchase property and put together a historic precinct. Since the 1980s, a number of landmarks have been lost, including the On-Lee House, which burned down several years ago. And, as announced in the Spring of 2002, the provincial government is "devolving" all its heritage sites in BC to non-governmental operators--without, it's fair to say, providing them with any significant funding sources.
The Yale toll house for the Cariboo Road, 1938, photographer unknown
