Historic sites often unseen
<p>The historic Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Church in Oreana is on the U.S. National List of Historic Places. It was built in the early 1800s and originally housed a general store.</p>
A lecture celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Idaho Heritage Trust and the state’s historic sites will be presented at the Coeur d’Alene Public Library Thursday, Oct. 13 at 7 p.m. in the Community Room.
“Ten Historic Sites Off the Beaten Path,” is the title of the lectures by Katherine Kirk, executive director and publisher of “Bridging the Past, Present and Future: Commemorating 25 Years of the Idaho Heritage Trust.”
The talk will present images from the book featuring sites that are not typical tourist stops. For example, Kirk lists a stone building originally constructed in the 1800s as a general store that now serves as a rural Catholic Church in Oreana, a town in Owyhee County.
“Restored by volunteers and a priest who had previously spent time in northern Africa with the French Legionnaires, a visitor entering the chapel today may feel transported to another time and place, perhaps to a Moorish church in North Africa,” she said.
Copies of the book will be available to purchase and a portion of sales will benefit the Friends of the Coeur d’Alene Public Library.
The Idaho National Trust was created in 1990 as a legacy of the Idaho centennial celebration to preserve the states’ historic fabric as represented by sites, buildings and artifacts.
The text in the photo book was written by Dr. Adam Sowards, associate professor of history and director of the Pacific Northwest Studies Program at the University of Idaho.
For information on the trust or to order copies of the book email iht@idahoheritage.org or call (208) 549-1778.