Posted on 05/29/2009 4:44:01 PM PDT by Stonewall Jackson
ELIZABETHTOWN – Fire damaged a Lincoln landmark at Freeman Lake Park in Elizabethtown early Friday morning, and police are baffled as to the motive behind the what they believe to be intentional damage to the historic site.
According to Elizabethtown Police Department spokesman Virgil Willoughy, Kenneth R. Bennett, a 34-year-old Elizabethtown resident, is believed to have started the fire.
Willoughby said police deduced from investigation that Bennett lit a container of trash and placed it inside the Lincoln Heritage House Friday morning while taking his regular walk.
“He walks this area frequently,” Willoughby said. “We can only guess as to a motive.”
Willoughby said preliminary observations by police investigating the crime indicate that Bennett could suffer from reduced mental capacity.
He was taken into custody not long after the fire was reported.
As for damage to the cabin, Elizabethtown Fire Department Safety Officer Rusty Todd said the historical building was “gutted” by fire and partially collapsed.
The two houses that comprise the Lincoln Heritage House originally belonged to local pioneer Hardin Thomas, who enlisted the help of Thomas Lincoln — Abraham Lincoln’s father — to build the latter structure around 1805, according to the Elizabethtown Tourism and Commission Bureau. The Hardin County Historical Society restored the facility and opened it in 1973.
It was also a stop on the Lincoln Heritage Trail, and local organizations like the Hardin County History Museum and the tourism bureau were prepping the home for tours during this year’s Heartland Festival.
Bennett is charged with arson and is being held at the Hardin County Detention Center. He will be arraigned on charges stemming from the fire Monday in Hardin District Court.
Investigation into the fire is ongoing.
Anyone with information may contact Elizabethtown police at (270) 765-4125.
Bob White can be reached at (270) 505-1750.
I just drove through Freeman Lake Park and looked at the damage. The firefighter was correct, the cabin was completely gutted.
Damn shame. We used to live not too far from there. I’ve been at that house dozens of times.
What a shame.
This cabin survived 203 years of wind, rain, storm,sleet,and hail only to be destroyed by a turd.
Pictures on the link are heartbreaking.
Last Saturday my Highlander was keyed while in the parking lot at work. Since my place of employment is right across the street from Freeman Lake, I wonder if there might be a connection.
Terrible loss.
A Lincoln landmark, what a shame.
Back in ‘96, I drove over from Hopkinsville to see the Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Site.
Regardless of whether the cabin really was Lincoln’s birthplace (and I like to believe that it was), it is a very interesting place to visit.
The worst picture is that of the perp. He looks like a Sling Blade-wannabe.
It is indeed. And it is in a beautiful area! I hope to retire there. It is the only place I get homesick for, even though I have never lived there.
Worthless trash.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.