Former Jail - Hyder, Alaska
N 55° 54.711 W 130° 01.049
9U E 436398 N 6196736
Storehouse #4, also known as the Eagle Point Storehouse, is Alaska's first masonry building and is located in Hyder, Alaska, just across the Canadian border. It was formerly used as a jail.
Waymark Code: WMHN4E
Location: Alaska, United States
Date Posted: 07/25/2013
Views: 5
A marker at the site provides the following additional information about the former uses of this historic building:
Storehouse #4 is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Built in 1896 by the Army Corps of Engineers, the sturdy rubble masonry structure survived the harsh southeast climate--although many of its wooden components were replaced as they weathered away.
Today the building is cared for by the Bureau of Land Management and is treasured as a national historic place. In 2004, Forest Service crews worked to restore the building to its original condition.
Many Uses Over Many Years
After its hasty construction in 1896, Storehouse #4 was never used by the Army Corps of Engineers. Instead, it found itself home to a variety of community uses over the years.
For many years the building was an enigma to area residents. They used the small structure for shops, lodging and even a jail! Iron bars across the windows still echo these bygone days.
Today, the building is a reminder of the rough and rugged history of the region.
Border Incident with Friendly Flags
Scarlet tunics of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the sky-blue jackets of the Alaska State Troopers contributed to a colorful event on the international border on July 4, 1976.
The occasion was the rededication of Storehouse $4 which sits astride the Alaska-Canada border. The international boundary marker, resembling a miniature Washington Monument, sits only 10 feet from the building's thick stone walls.
In Partnership...
Storehouse #4 has been maintained and restored through a partnership between two public land management agencies--the Bureau of Land Management and the USDA Forest Service.
Although this historic building is a BLM site, Tongass National Forest crews have carefully restored the building and provide on-site care.