Once a bustling church in Milner, the St. Alban’s Church and Hall — currently used as a community hall by the Phelp Community Society — is being added to the Community Heritage Register.
The church was originally built in 1890 on 216 Street in Milner with lumber cut at the Nelson and Monahan steam-powered sawmill on Yale Road in Murrayville.
A large rectory was located across the street at 6247 216 St., and a small cemetery was located beside the churchyard.
But as the population of Langley Prairie shifted and church attendance declined, the building was offered to the Anglican congregation in Otter in 1925.
One year later, the church was dismantled and moved to its current location, at 3758 248 St., on land donated by the Poppy family.
There have been several additions over the years, but the original siding, form of building and windows remain the same.
The church closed in the 1990s, and now the Phelp Community Society is taking on a massive restoration of the building.
With its inclusion in the Community Heritage Register, the St. Alban’s building is now eligible for special provision under the BC Building Code Heritage Building Supplement and for grants through the Township’s Heritage Building Incentive Program.