A local restoration project has been recognized with a Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan Physical Heritage Conservation Award. The Smithfield Heritage Restoration Project received the award for its work to restore the Smithfield stone farmhouse located in the Percy district north of Kisbey.
Named by local pioneer James Mitchell Smith the house was completed in 1903 and abandoned in 1988. Smith’s great grandson, Richard Krehbiel of Kisbey began salvage and restoration work in 2005 and welcomed the award as an encouragement for efforts to preserve Saskatchewan’s built heritage.
“Canada’s historic architecture is disappearing before our eyes” says Krehbiel. “That diminishes the memory of those who came before us and all that they tried to accomplish. Preserving and restoring the physical representation of our country’s history is not easy and it’s not cheap, but without it, we lose touch with who we are.”
The award was presented at government house in Regina by Lieutenant Governor Russell Mirasty on October 9th and recognizes the support of Percy View Farms and the RM of Brock which designated Smithfield as a municipal heritage site in 2014, as well as the CAP Masonry stonemasons and various local contractors who provided their expertise to the project.
The awards program is sponsored by Heritage Saskatchewan and in 2019 recognized eight organizations for their contributions to physical heritage conservation, community development, intangible cultural heritage and public outreach in the province.
