Save the Old Bush Place from being demolished
Save the Old Bush Place from being demolished
The Issue
**UPDATE 2:** Thanks to the News Enterprise for featuring our cause on the front page. Read here:
**UPDATE:**THANK YOU for your support! We truly appreciate the kind words of encouragement to continue this worthy mission. Unfortunately, the road just got a little tougher ahead. The Hardin County School Board signed a purchase agreement with the Trustees last Thursday. This means that our offer above the appraised value was not accepted by the trustees, despite our best efforts.
Your voice in our petition to preserve this historic home matters. Please continue to share--sign this petition or donate to the GoFundMe (link below). Please know that you're part of history by preserving this 207 year old home that has withstood Civil and World wars, the Great Depression, pandemics, and has raised some of our country's famous families.
"Nothing is more expensive than a closed mind, and a missed opportunity.” - H. Jackson Brown
Save the Old Bush Place! We are 2 active duty Air Force members on a mission to save a National Historic Landmark in our community, a vital piece of our shared Kentucky heritage and one of the oldest standing structures in Hardin County having been built in 1817. The original owner William Bush was the brother of Sara Bush, who was largely responsible for raising the boy who would be one of the greatest Presidents in US history, Abraham Lincoln. The Old Bush Place is only 20 minutes from Abe Lincoln's birth place. Because of its historic relevance to the Lincoln and Bush families, as well as its architectural significance, the house is recognized on the US Dept of the Interior National Register of Historic Places (https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123846705
We are concerned that this historic home will be demolished. Despite reaching out to the Hardin County School Board Superintendent and the Kentucky Dept of Education Commissioner, our pleas have been ignored. We ask for your help!
The house, lovingly maintained by our grandparents - the late World War II veteran and Kentucky Colonel, Fraisur Reesor and his wife Theresa - since the 1960s, is a testament to the enduring pioneer spirit of our community. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, this architectural gem holds a special place in the local and national historical narrative.
The home does not need to be demolished and can be preserved alongside other plans for a new school, especially given my family’s willingness to sell an adjacent 100-acre farm for this purpose. While we understand the need for educational facilities, it is crucial to balance development with the preservation of our cultural heritage. We can achieve the goal of expanding educational facilities without sacrificing our cultural or historic heritage.
The significance of preserving such architectural landmarks extends beyond personal sentiments. According to the National Trust for Historic Preservation, historic sites offer educational value, providing tangible links to our past and facilitating understanding and empathy toward history. Taking down the Old Bush Place would not only break the line of historical continuity but rob future generations of a vital educational resource and an important part of Elizabethtown's heritage, especially its connection to Sara Bush Lincoln, the woman who "stepmothered [Abraham Lincoln] to greatness."
We also have established a GoFundMe page to solicit donations of $5 or more to help cover legal fees, maintenance, and potential repair costs. Every little bit counts in our mission to save this invaluable relic of our shared past
Our Goal: Our only goal is to save the Old Bush Place. To do this, we must win in court (link below). We're raising money to help with these legal fees and prevent demolition. Our aim is to raise awareness and public support for this cause. We’re also gathering signatures to show the School Board and Department of Education our community’s support.
How You Can Help:
Donate $5 on our GoFundMe: Your $5 contribution is more than just a donation; it’s a statement. By donating, you add your voice to our cause and help us demonstrate the community’s strong support. Your donation also helps us with the legal fees we are anticipating to protect the Old Bush home from being demolished
Sign this Petition: You can also just donate your signature to our petition.
Share: Spread the word to friends and family. The more people we reach, the stronger our collective voice will be.
A little about us: we're active duty Air Force members. We were both raised in Hardin County and graduated the local high schools (NHHS and CHHS) in 2003. Although we grew up in the same county, we met in Montgomery, Alabama while in an Air Force training. We've served in two wars and South Korea and are still passionate about service and upholding the freedoms of our nation while honoring the legacies of the brave men and women who came before us. Saving this historic home is more than sentimentality, it's a duty and a privilege to honor the legacy of our forebears, including William Bush, Sara Bush Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln, Fraisur Reesor, and Theresa Reesor.
Thank you for your support!
Letters to School Board and Dept of Education
Learn more about the Old Bush Place
Here's our court case
Photo credit: By Jim Roberts - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=76058665
184
The Issue
**UPDATE 2:** Thanks to the News Enterprise for featuring our cause on the front page. Read here:
**UPDATE:**THANK YOU for your support! We truly appreciate the kind words of encouragement to continue this worthy mission. Unfortunately, the road just got a little tougher ahead. The Hardin County School Board signed a purchase agreement with the Trustees last Thursday. This means that our offer above the appraised value was not accepted by the trustees, despite our best efforts.
Your voice in our petition to preserve this historic home matters. Please continue to share--sign this petition or donate to the GoFundMe (link below). Please know that you're part of history by preserving this 207 year old home that has withstood Civil and World wars, the Great Depression, pandemics, and has raised some of our country's famous families.
"Nothing is more expensive than a closed mind, and a missed opportunity.” - H. Jackson Brown
Save the Old Bush Place! We are 2 active duty Air Force members on a mission to save a National Historic Landmark in our community, a vital piece of our shared Kentucky heritage and one of the oldest standing structures in Hardin County having been built in 1817. The original owner William Bush was the brother of Sara Bush, who was largely responsible for raising the boy who would be one of the greatest Presidents in US history, Abraham Lincoln. The Old Bush Place is only 20 minutes from Abe Lincoln's birth place. Because of its historic relevance to the Lincoln and Bush families, as well as its architectural significance, the house is recognized on the US Dept of the Interior National Register of Historic Places (https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123846705
We are concerned that this historic home will be demolished. Despite reaching out to the Hardin County School Board Superintendent and the Kentucky Dept of Education Commissioner, our pleas have been ignored. We ask for your help!
The house, lovingly maintained by our grandparents - the late World War II veteran and Kentucky Colonel, Fraisur Reesor and his wife Theresa - since the 1960s, is a testament to the enduring pioneer spirit of our community. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, this architectural gem holds a special place in the local and national historical narrative.
The home does not need to be demolished and can be preserved alongside other plans for a new school, especially given my family’s willingness to sell an adjacent 100-acre farm for this purpose. While we understand the need for educational facilities, it is crucial to balance development with the preservation of our cultural heritage. We can achieve the goal of expanding educational facilities without sacrificing our cultural or historic heritage.
The significance of preserving such architectural landmarks extends beyond personal sentiments. According to the National Trust for Historic Preservation, historic sites offer educational value, providing tangible links to our past and facilitating understanding and empathy toward history. Taking down the Old Bush Place would not only break the line of historical continuity but rob future generations of a vital educational resource and an important part of Elizabethtown's heritage, especially its connection to Sara Bush Lincoln, the woman who "stepmothered [Abraham Lincoln] to greatness."
We also have established a GoFundMe page to solicit donations of $5 or more to help cover legal fees, maintenance, and potential repair costs. Every little bit counts in our mission to save this invaluable relic of our shared past
Our Goal: Our only goal is to save the Old Bush Place. To do this, we must win in court (link below). We're raising money to help with these legal fees and prevent demolition. Our aim is to raise awareness and public support for this cause. We’re also gathering signatures to show the School Board and Department of Education our community’s support.
How You Can Help:
Donate $5 on our GoFundMe: Your $5 contribution is more than just a donation; it’s a statement. By donating, you add your voice to our cause and help us demonstrate the community’s strong support. Your donation also helps us with the legal fees we are anticipating to protect the Old Bush home from being demolished
Sign this Petition: You can also just donate your signature to our petition.
Share: Spread the word to friends and family. The more people we reach, the stronger our collective voice will be.
A little about us: we're active duty Air Force members. We were both raised in Hardin County and graduated the local high schools (NHHS and CHHS) in 2003. Although we grew up in the same county, we met in Montgomery, Alabama while in an Air Force training. We've served in two wars and South Korea and are still passionate about service and upholding the freedoms of our nation while honoring the legacies of the brave men and women who came before us. Saving this historic home is more than sentimentality, it's a duty and a privilege to honor the legacy of our forebears, including William Bush, Sara Bush Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln, Fraisur Reesor, and Theresa Reesor.
Thank you for your support!
Letters to School Board and Dept of Education
Learn more about the Old Bush Place
Here's our court case
Photo credit: By Jim Roberts - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=76058665
184
The Decision Makers
Supporter Voices
Petition created on September 14, 2024