By MIKE MORRIS

The Union Democrat

Two historic buildings are scheduled to return to the Mother Lode this month after spending decades at a western-theme park near Lodi.

The tiny 1927 Mountain Ranch Post Office is scheduled to return back to its Calaveras County home on Tuesday. And those bringing back the 1897 Jamestown Jail are hoping for a mid-April move.

Phil Alberts, a retired real estate agent who lives in Mountain Ranch, is handling transportation and restoration costs for the 6- by 8-foot post office.

"I don't think it will draw the Disneyland crowd," he said. "But it's the smallest post office that was ever in use."

Jim O'Neil of the Rescue the 1897 Jamestown Jail Committee said the group should know this week when the 110-year-old jail will return to Tuolumne County.

Meanwhile, fundraising efforts remain in full swing to bring the jail back from Pollardville, a western-theme park off Highway 99 south of Lodi. The park closed Sunday and the land is slated for development. All the buildings there must be moved by June or they will be torn down.

"We haven't quite raised the match yet, but I am confident that we will," O'Neil said Friday.

If the committee raises $35,000, the Irving J. Symons Foundation — a supporting organization of the Sonora Area Foundation — will match those funds and the resulting $70,000 will pay for the jail's return.

As of Friday, there was slightly more than $33,000 raised, said Mick Grimes, executive director of the Sonora Area Foundation.

"I know they're getting awfully close on the fundraising," Grimes said.

The owner of Pollardville, who is retiring to Mountain Ranch, is donating the old post office and jail. Several other buildings there have been purchased and are being shipped around the country.

Groups must take on the financial and logistical responsibilities of transporting and restoring the buildings.

The old Mountain Ranch Post Office, which served residents from 1927 to 1956, will be delivered to the town's Washington Street. A cement foundation has been poured and a brass plaque with its history will be hung.

"I will have to do a little work on it to get it to how it was," Alberts said.

Moving the Jamestown Jail, however, will be more complicated.

Donn Blount, a member of the jail committee, said there have been talks with four different companies about moving the jail. One wanted to use a helicopter, another wanted to fill the inside with airbags and wrap the building in plastic.

"It came from Jamestown and we want it back one way or another," said Blount, who has a binder filled with current and historic photos of the jail. He even has the building's original blueprint.

O'Neil said the move will cost an estimated $60,000 to $70,000, including hiring an Escalon moving company and paying for California Highway Patrol assistance.

The jail committee estimates that restoration costs would push that total beyond $100,000.

The rescue effort has many supporters, including substantial donations from the Tuolumne County Board of Supervisors, the Tuolumne County Deputy Sheriff's Association and the Tuolumne County Historical Society.

The county has also donated the use of the land in Jamestown where the old jail will be relocated.

The jail, which originally stood in downtown James-town, will be moved behind the gazebo at Rocca Park, near its original location.

"It's been a labor of love," O'Neil said. "There's an incredible amount of thoughtful, wonderful, dedicated people that made this happen."

As a fundraiser to help with restoration costs, the committee will start selling "Rescue the 1897 Jamestown Jail" T-shirts in about a week. The shirts, which cost $20, will have an original picture of the jail along with the words, "Rocca Park 2007."

"These are totally limited editions," O'Neil said.

A concert fundraiser is also set for April 28 at Railtown 1897 State Historic Park in Jamestown. There will be train rides, a raffle, food, wine, live music and a silent auction. Tickets are $20 and available starting Friday at www.jamestownjail.org, the Tuolumne County Visitors Bureau and the Jamestown Coffee Emporium.

Contact Mike Morris at mmorris@uniondemocrat.com or 588-4537.