Historians in Chatham-Kent can breathe a sigh of relief in knowing the integrity of the Kent County Jail and Courthouse will be preserved by its new owners.
Carson Warrener of Warrener Properties said the old Chatham jail and courthouse has been bought from the province for about $1-million.
Warrener said his family -- specifically his father -- has maintained an affinity for historical buildings, so when the jail went up for sale, it was an opportunity they had to pursue.
"When talk of this building becoming surplus started to go around town a few years back we became pretty interested," he said. "We were obviously concerned what the outcome would be, as most people in Chatham were."
Warrener said the process of buying the building was lengthy. But now that Warrener Properties has ownership, he said there are no immediate plans on what to do with the building. However, they do plan on keeping its historical value within the community.
"As we do with all of the historical buildings we own, a good example would be the Armory ... we feel that we're just custodians of these buildings," he said. "We want to share the building with the community so when we can come up with a use that at the end of the day pays the bills, keeps the heat on, the lights on, and gets some people through ... that's definitely something that satisfies us and keeps the community happy."
Warrener said there are several questions that still stand regarding the building's history, so they are eager to learn facts from community members.
"When you purchase a building that predates confederacy, there are a lot of questions about what went on there," he said. "I know there are a lot of local historians that have researched the property extensively and there could be some other people out there that have some pieces of the story to tell. We would definitely be open to receiving that information and ultimately if there's a way to bring that together into some type of consistent display, that could be an end goal for us."
Petitions to save a piece of Chatham-Kent's history had launched earlier this year in June. The Kent County Courthouse and Jail was officially closed on July 4, 2014. It is one of only four remaining buildings in Chatham that predate 1860.
