Monday, June 1, 2009

Kentucky Lincoln Site Destroyed by Fire

The Lincoln Heritage House, a restored cabin originally built by Hardin Thomas and his friend Thomas Lincoln, was destroyed by fire in the wee hours on Friday.  Authorities believe that the fire was deliberately set and have arrested a suspect.

The cabin was outside of Elizabethtown, Kentucky, where Abraham Lincoln's father Thomas lived prior to his famous son's birth.  A well-known carpenter, Thomas was thought to have built the stairways, fireplace mantles, among other woodwork in the cabin (according to the guide to Lincoln sites In Lincoln's Footsteps by Don Davenport).

Located in Freeman Lake Park, the cabin had been restored by the Hardin County Historical Society, opening to the public in 1973, when it was also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  The cabin was open to the public during the summer months, and would have opened for the season today.  A picture of the cabin is available on the Elizabethtown website here.

It goes without saying that the destruction of a historical site is a loss.  It is ironic as a group in Virginia has begun an effort to purchase the home of one of Lincoln's ancestors, in the hopes of turning it into a museum, another such Lincoln tourist site has been destroyed.

No comments: