Log House

In April 2001, the Nicholasville City Commission adopted and established a historic preservation commission with the passing of ordinance 366-2001. But at that time it failed to adopt historic district boundaries and rules property owners must abide by. Wini Yunker, chairwoman of the historic preservation commission, brought this to the attention of the mayor and city commissioners during Monday’s meeting. “It came to our attention last August that we actually have no power,” Yunker said.

LIBERTY - Sandy Tucker was laid to rest Monday in a small cemetery behind a log house that was to become a home for her and her husband, Jerry, at the Galilean Home Ministries in rural Casey County. Tucker, 62, who co-founded the ministry in the South Fork community, died June 18 after a seven-year battle with cancer. More than 1,500 family members and friends gathered for the services in the Galilean school gymnasium. After the service, a small black horse-drawn hearse carried the remains to the cemetery as family and friends walked behind.

100 YEARS AGO - 1908 J.H. Baldwin, who is moving the log house belonging to John Chestnut on Fourth Street, is doing a very fine job. The logs are extra heavy and in one place, they are all cut off together. This makes the walls very hard to move. However, because of the extra care given by Mr. Baldwin, not a single piece of plaster has fallen off. The log home is now safely located on the south end of the lot and a new building will immediately be built by Mr. Chestnut on the north end of his lot. Excavation of the foundation of the Danville Public School addition has begun.

Donations are coming in for the Save the Log House Project, said Julie Wagner, executive director of Heart of Danville. She also has an application prepared for an emergency grant seeking help from the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The project committee is asking for a $5,000 grant and also wants to raise another $5,000 in public funds for a match. The cost of the first phase of the project that includes marking, cleaning, disassembling the logs and completing the demolition of the house will cost more than $18,000, she said.

FRANKFORT - The CBS "Sunday Morning" segment about the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial will air at 9 a.m. Sunday. In January, Mo Rocca, a contributor to the show, joined the Kentucky Historical Society's HistoryMobile, a 45-foot tractor-trailer mobile exhibit currently featuring Abraham Lincoln, in Frankfort and Danville. Rocca interviewed HistoryMobile visitors about their opinions of Lincoln for "Sunday Morning's" tribute during the bicentennial commemoration. The exhibit explores Lincoln's frontier childhood, his career from log house to the White House, and his struggles to end slavery and lead the nation through the Civil War. The 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birth takes place Thursday, and the national commemoration closes Feb. 12, 2010.

The Joy XYZ Club traveled to Boone Tavern in Berea Tuesday, June 24 for their monthly outing. A delicious lunch was enjoyed, including the tavern's famous spoon bread, and the atmosphere of college students waiting the tables. Boone Tavern will be celebrating 100 years of serving friends and will undergo a major renovation in 2009. The group shopped and visited the Log House Gift Gallery and gift shops as it is a showcase for various Berea College students' crafts and other fine regional crafts.

When the siding was removed from a two-story log house on North Third Street, it caused some concern among local historians who worked quickly to save the logs estimated to date back to the late 1700s. Carolyn Crabtree, a local historian, with the help of Boyle County Fiscal Court, began gathering funds with the hope that one day the cabin will be reconstructed on Constitution Square State Historic Site as an educational tool for students. The Heart of Danville also helped raise funds.

A new hiking trail on the Lower Howard's Creek Nature and Heritage Preserve will open to the public Friday afternoon. The trek is almost a 3-mile round trip. The John Holder Trail, named after Col. John Holder, one of the historic defenders of Fort Boonesborough, follows parts of the Athens-Boonesboro Turnpike, the Salt Springs Trace and Holder's Road. It features 10 historical markers, including the foundation of the Robert Martin House, a two-room log house built in 1856; Downey Graveyard, with burials from the early 20th century to present; and the Thompson Ridge residential area with homestead sites dating back to the 1800s.

FRANKFORT ? Hyden residents will have an opportunity to explore "Kentucky's Abraham Lincoln" when they visit the HistoryMobile 3-10 p.m. Oct. 2 and 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Oct. 3. An experience provided by the Kentucky Historical Society, the HistoryMobile will be in downtown Hyden for the Mary Breckinridge Festival. The KHS HistoryMobile is a mobile museum featuring exhibits on Kentucky history. Housed in a 45- foot tractor-trailer, the 300-square-foot exhibit explores Lincoln's frontier childhood, his career from log house to the White House and his struggles to end slavery and lead the nation through the Civil War. The HistoryMobile will visit communities and school campuses throughout the state during the next year as part of the Kentucky Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial.

Exhibits and speakers will be presented Thursday and Friday, Feb. 21-22 in observance of Black History Month. The programs will be from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day.  Boyle Landmark Trust will present “Boyle County African-American Education Trail” at Grayson's Tavern both days, and The Boyle County Public Library will have an exhibit of items from the Doric Masonic 18 AF&FM Lodge as part of the observance. “We want to re-emphasize the importance of Professor Bate and other early teachers who have worked to improve education for students,” said Barbara Hulette, president of Boyle Landmark Trust.