Sun
There does not seem to be a master list of the oldest buildings in British Columbia. “And believe me,” said The Sun’s John Mackie, “it takes a lot of work trying to put one together.” But here is a list of some of the contenders, along with information on the Hatzic Rock archeological site. (The list goes up to 1865, when local icons like Hastings Mill Museum and Irving House were constructed.)
1 Fort Langley storehouse, 1840s. Part of the Fort Langley National Historic Site, 23433 Mavis Ave., Fort Langley.
2 Fort Kamloops log cabin, 1840s. Part of the Kamloops Museum, 207 Seymour St., Kamloops.
3 St. Ann‘s schoolhouse, circa 1844. Part of the Royal B.C. Museum site, Elliott Street Square, Victoria.
4 Tod House, 1851. 2072 Hampshire Rd., Oak Bay.
5 Helmcken House, 1852. Part of the Royal B.C. Museum site, Elliott Street Square, Victoria.
6 Craigflower Manor, 1853. There’s an 1855 schoolhouse on the same property. Admirals Road and Craigflower Road, Victoria.
7 The Bastion, 1853. 94 Front St., Nanaimo.
8 St. John the Divine Church, 1859. Built at Derby, relocated to Maple Ridge in 1882. 21299 River Rd., Maple Ridge.
9 Father Pandosy Mission, 1859. 3685 Benvoulin Rd., Kelowna.
10 Dodd House, 1859. 4139 Lambrick Way, Saanich.
11 Fisgard Lighthouse, 1860. 603 Fort Rodd Hill Rd., Victoria.
12 Race Rocks Lighthouse, 1860. Located on Great Race Rock, a small island in the Strait of Juan de Fuca about 15 km southwest of Victoria.
13 McLean Cabin and Hat Creek House, circa 1860. A former roadhouse on the Cariboo wagon trail, built by retired Hudson‘s Bay Company factor Donald McLean. Part of Historic Hat Creek Ranch, Junction of Highway 97 and 99, 11 km north of Cache Creek.
14 Christ Church Anglican Church, 1861. 681 Fraser, Hope.
15 Woodlands House, 1861. 140 Government, Victoria.
16 Duvals, 1861. 1462 Rockland, Victoria.
17 Trutch House, 1861. 601 Trutch, Victoria.
18 Point Ellice House, 1861. 2616 Pleasant St., Victoria.
19 Wentworth House, circa 1862. 1156 Fort St., Victoria.
20 Ashcroft Manor, 1862. A former roadhouse on the Cariboo wagon trail. Between Cache Creek and Ashcroft on the Trans-Canada Hwy.
21 Carr House, 1863. The home of artist Emily Carr. 207 Government St., Victoria.
22 Synagogue, 1863. 1421 Blanshard, Victoria.
23 St. John the Divine Church, 1863. Yale.
24 Old St. Andrews Presbyterian Church, 1863. 317 Clarkson St., New Westminster.
25 Clarkson House, 1864. 314 Pine and 313 Fourth St., New Westminster.
26 Van Volkenburgh Cabin, Barkerville, 1864. A small log cabin that is believed to be the only survivor of the 1868 fire that destroyed Barkerville, perhaps because it was in a nearby town and moved there (the logs have been dated to 1864 through a process called den drochronology, which examines tree rings).
27 Donald Fraser Warehouses, 1864. 1314 and 1318 Wharf St., Victoria.
28 Cottonwood House, 1864-65. A former roadhouse on the Cariboo wagon trail. Hwy. 26, Quesnel.
29 Angela College, 1864. 923 Burdette Ave., Victoria.
30 Teague House, 1864. Yale.
31 Galbraith’s Ferry Office, 1864.
Fort Steele.
32 Hudson‘s Bay Building, 1864. Corner Front and Carson, Quesnel.
33 Ross Bay Villa, 1865. 1490 Fairfield Rd., Victoria.
34 Mason House, 1865. 516 Pandora Ave., Victoria.
35 Irving House, 1865. 511 Royal Ave., New Westminster.
36 Hastings Mill Museum, 1865. 1575 Alma St., Vancouver.
37 Hatzic Rock pit house, est. 5,000 to 9,000 years old. A pit house was a pit which was covered by logs; the display is a reconstruction. 35087 Lougheed Highway, Mission.