5 sites in Westman named “historical resources at risk”

The Manitoba Historical Society has identified characteristic Westman sites in its list of top 10 endangered historical resources in the province.

The society released its 2026 list on last week, naming a building in Brandon alongside four buildings in Westman rural areas as some of the most endangered. A church, community centre, an old school, a fairgrounds building and grain elevators made up the local resources at risk.

Lawrence Prout, chair of the historical society said the goal is to drive solutions for historical sites.

“These things — large and small, urban and rural — tell the story of who we are,” Prout said in a press release. “We hope to encourage thoughtful discussion and collaborative action before they are lost.”

MANITOBA GOVERNMENT DISPLAY BUILDING

The Manitoba Government Display Building at the fairgrounds in Brandon was featured as a resource at risk — with the historical society noting that the building is now closed and used “mainly for cold storage” following its extensive use throughout the 20th century supporting the Summer Fair.

The building was constructed to give space for provincial programs and services, and was later remodeled to create a large open hall, transforming it into the Manitoba Trade Fair Building. The trade fair is no longer held indoors, and the building is marked with structural damage, the society wrote.

“The building suffers from a leaking roof and broken windows. Yet its easy entrance still bears eight aspiration words from (the year it was opened) 1927: education, agricultural, industry, commerce, co-operation, conservation, progress and thrift.”

The building is “historically significant” for its 99 years of life and use in cultural events at the fairgrounds, the society wrote.

KENTON CHURCH

The Kenton United Church in the community northwest of Brandon is hosting its final worship service on Sunday, the same week that the society announced it as one of the top 10 endangered historical resources.

The church’s management wrote online that there are not enough people involved in the work to keep it open, and so there’s only one option.

“The burden of keeping it open has fallen on a few shoulders and the time has come that we must move on,” the church organizers wrote in a post about the last service. “Join us as we celebrate the joy and grief of closing our beautiful church.”

The final worship is schedule for 2 p.m. on Sunday.

According to the Manitoba Historical society, the site was chosen because it is a “clear example” of the difficulties facing rural churches.

“Today, the United Church faces a marked decline in Manitoba. Demographic change, shrinking congregations, and a severe shortage of ministers leave many communities without stable leadership,” it wrote. “Once-central rural churches now struggle to sustain programs, maintain buildings and attract new members.”

“Aside from a well-attended Christmas service in 2023 and one early in 2024, it has been largely vacant.”

The brick church was built in 1904. It had been an anchor for communities of Hamiota, Oakner and Shiloh, but now faces an uncertain future.

THE MARIAPOLIS COLLEGIATE

Built in 1962, and now vacant for decades, the Mariapolis Collegiate in the Municipality of Lorne has been identified for the fact that “time is against it in its current, wasting state,” the historical society wrote.

The one-storey, flat-roofed brick structure served students in the area, and then was converted into a clothing factory when students dispersed into other schools. The factory was then restored to its original function when purchased by Swan Lake First Nation for nursery school, kindergarten and grades one to eight. It was renamed Indian Springs School and operated until the early ’90s, when classes were relocated to a school on the First Nation.

The building is now being encroached upon by trees and bushes, and has water pooling inside, the historical society added.

RUTHENIA COMMUNITY HALL

The Ruthenia Community Hall, just south of Riding Mountain National Park in the Municipality of Rossburn, was chosen for its representation of the rural community hall — and as a Ukrainian National Home.

The site represents a changing landscape in Manitoba, according to the historical society.

“Community halls were once the epicentre of rural Manitoba life, being the venue for weddings, dances, concerts, meetings, political gatherings, school events, agricultural workshops, and holiday celebrations,” the society wrote. “Within this landscape, Ukrainian National Homes were distinctive.”

The Ukrainian homes were designed for cultural and educational societies and typically included an auditorium, stage and meeting rooms. The halls are now rare, and the historical society identifies only seven Ukrainian National Homes that remain.

The Ruthenia hall, built in 1931, is the “most vulnerable” due to its location. It sits northwest of Rossburn, outside urban or semi-urban atmospheres. The other six halls could attract new uses due to their locations.

“The community it once served has largely dispersed, leaving few opportunities for sustained use,” the society wrote. “As a result, its long-term survival is uncertain.”

Relocation to a museum may offer the best future, the society said.

GRAIN ELEVATORS IN NAPINKA

Two wooden grain elevators in Napinka date from the “glory days” for elevators in the 1920s, the historical society wrote.

The elevators were closed in 1984 and sold for private use. They were used until 2000 and have been vacant ever since. The historical society writes that “rumours suggest demolition may be looming” for the elevators in the rural community south of Oak Lake.

Last year’s historic resources at risk list also included a number of Westman sites, including The Canadian National Railway Turntable in Dauphin, The Scallion Granary in the RM of Wallace-Woodworth, The Lake of the Woods Grain Elevator in the Municipality of Two Borders, the Lauder Methodist Church and the Hartney Town Hall in the Municipality of Grassland, the Hales House in Brandon, and the Union Bank Building in the Municipality of Louise.

» cmcdowell@brandonsun.com