Fleming House

The existing form and detailing of the farmhouse reflects its 1871 appearance inspired by John Dilworth that is reminiscent of a vernacular farmhouse, belying the fact that underneath is a rare surviving 2 storey log house built from hand hewn pine logs in 1871 by Frederick Brent. Brent, whom after completing his house constructed the Grist Mill; the oldest surviving Grist Mill in British Columbia.

The farmhouse is a rare surviving structure from the 1870s, when there was a recession throughout the province and little construction occurred. As such, it is a valuable representation of the building practices of pioneer times. The large two-storey house was built in 1871 of large squared logs up to 35 centimeters high by 17 centimeters thick. The site was acquired by John Dilworth in 1900, and prior to 1908 he installed milled siding on the house and added plaster walls on the inside, indicating the pattern of improvements made to pioneer houses as the settlers prospered and more refined materials and techniques became locally available.

In 1893, Frederick Brent sold his property that had then grown to 2000 acres to Englishman J.T. Davis who used the house as a hunting lodge and papered the walls of the log house with British newspaper sheets and who in turn sold the property to John Dilworth in 1900. Between 1900 and 1908 Dilworth undertook a major remodeling of the log house adding the rear shed roofed storage area, the porch and veranda and two corbelled chimneys. In 1908, soon after these alterations were completed, Dilworth sectioned the Brent Farm and an 87 acre lot that included the house and mill was purchased by William Fleming. Fleming farmed the property until 1925 and then sold the property to John Gervers who lived on the farm property for the next thirty four years.