Class of ‘74 donates funds to preserve Weiser history

Weiser High School’s class of 1974 recently held their 50th year reunion and, as they’ve done in the past, conducted a benefit auction whose proceeds were donated to a local cause. The Weiser Architectural Preservation Committee, Inc. was the lucky beneficiary of a $750 donation this year, after the Snake River Heritage Center was the recipient at their 45th reunion. The timing was uncanny this year, since WAPC recently became an official 501c3 charitable organization, meaning all donations are now tax deductible. 

 WAPC was originally established as a committee of the Intermountain Cultural Center and Museum, now operating as the Snake River Heritage Center, back in 1983 following a fire at the corner of State and Main streets. Several board members actively negotiated with the owner of the damaged buildings not to demolish them as had happened with the Washington Hotel a few years earlier. 

 These experiences awakened the realization that our historic commercial and residential buildings were underappreciated and needed advocacy if they were to survive to once again become assets to our community.  Less than two years later, one of those board members got a call from a fellow preservationist in Payette, warning that Union Pacific had just demolished their depot and was headed to Weiser to do the same to ours.  Fortunately, the architectural preservation committee was established and ready to act. 

 Over the next two years, the committee negotiated with UPRR which led to the eventual donation of the building to WAPC. At the same time, WAPC petitioned both the City of Weiser and Washington County to establish historic preservation ordinances, creating commissions and thereby making our communities eligible for grant funding from the State Historic Preservation Office of the Idaho State Historical Society.

 Unfortunately, the ICC&M building suffered a tragic fire in 1994, but the depot was available for use as one of several recovery sites for artifacts damaged in the fire. Weiser’s museum struggled for several years, and the future seemed uncertain. 

 In 1999, when the Knights of Pythias announced they would be closing their lodge here in Weiser, one of WAPC’s members initiated negotiations for the donation of the building to WAPC. With an additional building now under WAPC ownership and the future of ICC&M uncertain, a decision was made to incorporate WAPC as a separate non-profit.  

 For nearly 40 years, WAPC Inc. has regularly conducted meetings, hosted events, and actively worked to preserve the historic resources of our community. WAPC has also been the primary fundraising arm for the matching funds required by most grants, unlike other Idaho communities who rely on local tax dollars for those grant matches. This is on top of their non-grant investments, such as the joint venture with the Weiser River Trail for the restoration currently underway of the little Eaton depot relocated to the FWRT trailhead at the end of East Main.   

 The Weiser community has been extremely supportive of WAPC’s work through the years. Going forward, WAPC will continue to rely on the generosity of the community with the added benefit of tax-deductible status for donations!