Protecting the past

Vandals did their best earlier this month to destroy historical artifacts at Rathdrum’s 1890 jail. They spray-painted photos, tore dresses and left behind anarchist literature.

Still, what mattered most to members of the Rathdrum/Westwood Historical Society was that the former Kootenai County Jail itself remained structurally unharmed so that their restoration efforts could continue. The group has a $600,000 Millennium Fund grant to return the 118-year-old downtown building to its original state over the next five years.

“We’ve struggled to keep the lights on in here for years,” said historical society member Bill Cleveland. “Now it’s all coming together.”

Historical preservation is on the upswing in many Kootenai County towns.

While Rathdrum history buffs restore their jail, the city of Spirit Lake is celebrating its centennial and its historical society is working to establish a museum. To the south, the Post Falls Historical Society will soon move its museum into one of the town’s oldest buildings, right next door to the new Post Falls City Hall.

Spirit Lake Historical Society President Terry Stidman said that each community is building on small successes to take on bigger projects.

That’s certainly the case in Spirit Lake, where he and other history enthusiasts have been collecting artifacts and promoting their group. This year the society will host its first July festival, called Music on the Green.

“When you’re dealing with a small town this is a new idea for them. They’re not really thinking about it. You have to sell the vision for it,” Stidman said.

In Spirit Lake that vision means finding the money to build a museum to house old photographs, theater seats from the town’s defunct movie house, and an old firetruck and ambulance. “We need a home,” he said.

Meanwhile the town’s historical society is gearing up to help students begin gathering oral histories of Spirit Lake residents.

“People are seeing things happen. It’s not just talk anymore,” Stidman said.

Separately from the historical society, city officials are planning a festive summer celebration of Spirit Lake’s centennial.

Post Falls city officials are also placing importance on preserving their history.

The city is offering the Post Falls Historical Society use of the brick Chapin Building at Spokane Street and Fourth Avenue for a bargain basement rent of $10 per month for its museum. The Post Falls City Council is also examining the possibility of bringing the historical society back under its umbrella as an official city commission.

“The main advantage would be the stability for the organization and members,” said the society’s president, Bob Frazey.

The group is already working on plans for its new museum and will begin fundraising efforts in the next few months, Frazey said.

In Rathdrum, city officials jump-started the Rathdrum/Westwood Historical Society’s jail rehabilitation project by donating the building to the society.

“That kind of started the momentum,” said Society President Eleni Schumacher.

The group, which boasts both the town’s current and former names in its moniker, has already replaced windows in the building and has been working with an architect on plans to bring the jail back to its original condition.

A tower in the front will need to be replaced as well as a staircase to the second floor, where women and the mentally ill were once incarcerated.

Member Sue Eldridge’s husband even built a replica of one of the eight jail cells the building used to imprison men when the town was the county seat. In later years the building served as town hall and a library.

The recent Rathdrum Jail vandalism dealt a blow to the town’s historical society, frustrating members, but Eldridge and Schumacher said it won’t stop them.

Eldridge said that upcoming work will give the community more pride in the building, making it less vulnerable to miscreants.

“If you tie in with the students and merchants it’s less likely that people are going to vandalize it,” she said.

Police haven’t arrested anyone for the April 10 crime.

“My gut is it is kids with nothing better to do,” said Rathdrum Police Chief Kevin Fuhr.

Meanwhile Schumacher and Eldridge are planning for a future where the old jail will be the cornerstone of a new community gathering place.

The city is planning a heritage park to the jail’s east and there’s hope that the Masonic Temple to the west will be restored and turned into a community center.

Rathdrum’s history is central to its future, said Schumacher as she looked out on the downtown block. “This area will be the center of town.”