Boyle Landmark Trust honors three

By Brenda S. Edwards
The Advocate-Messenger

Boyle Landmark Trust observed National Preservation Month on Tuesday by recognizing three people for their efforts in preservation of historic buildings and announcing “Landmarks to Watch” in Danville and Boyle County.
The plaque program began in 2013 and recognizes properties more than 100 years old, said Barbara Hulette, Landmark Trust president.

Plaques went to Bernie and Susan Hunstad for their efforts to preserve Third Street Methodist Church (formerly Centenary United Methodist).

It was the first Methodist organized west of the Allegheny Mountains. The current building, the third church to house the Methodists, is made of brick and rough-cut stone with a squared tower and has stained glass windows.

It was damaged by flooding in 2008, and the Centenary congregation sold it and moved to a new location on Perryville Road. It is currently used by the Third Street Methodist congregation. The Hunstads purchased the building in 2014 and plan to lease professional space in the wing addition and offer the sanctuary for weddings and special events.

The Hunstads did “an amazing job for saving the building and keeping the church open,” said Ken Harmon, who presented the plaques.

�????�???�??�?�¢??Hunstad said Centenary took great care of the building for years. He and his wife have done much of the work that has been undertaken so far, and more is needed, he said.

Recognition was also given to Thad and Jane Overmyer who purchased Waveland, the oldest brick house in Danville and built by pioneer Willis Green.

The house on Erskine Drive was built in the late 1700s and was vacant and on the endangered list for several years before the Overmyers purchased it.

The family is excited about refurbishing the property, Overmyer said.

They have begun work to restore it and add modern facilities. The original front entrance faced east and later moved to the west. Plans are to have both entrances open.

Other plans are to improve the land and possibly construct a building similar to the old slave quarters.

He said the city and neighbors are pleased with the restoration plan. Neighbors are helpful in watching the place, he said.

A third plaque went to David Downey, who owns the Engineer's House at the corner of Second and Jacobs streets, which has had many owners and was formerly a house for caretakers at Kentucky School for the Deaf.

The house was built in the late 1800s. Downey has refurbished the exterior and has a pending contract for sale of the two-story brick structure. Professional offices are planned.

Landmark Trust partners with Heart of Danville and Main Street Perryville to educate the community about unique buildings and histories.

Bethany Rogers, representing Heart of Danville, presented Landmarks to Watch.

The Danville sites are the Clay Building, 311 W. Main St.; International Order of Odd Fellows Lodge, 409 W. Main St.; Terrace Court, Old Wilderness Road; and Third Street Methodist Church, South Third Street.

The Clay building was constructed in the 1860s in Italianate style with ornate window crowns and cornice brackets. Owned by the Stith-Hamlin family, restoration is under way and calls for more work on the facade. It will offer space for retail and residential uses.

Odd Fellows Lodge was built in 1907-1908 by E.S. Mills. The lodge agreed to purchase, build and maintain the third floor as a meeting place and ceremony room before construction began. A grocery was on the first floor. Current owners Nancy Davis and Wandy Dry are renovating the building.

Terrace Court is a small-scale subdivision listed the National Register of Historic Places. The 10 structures were built from the 1910s to the 1940s. They sit on small lots with a shared courtyard-like space in front and rear alleys that allow access of basement garages.

In Perryville, buildings are:

Colored School, which has been renovated through the efforts of Perryville Baptist Church and Jess and Angela Correll. The white frame school house built in the early 1900s saw hundreds of young black children educated by Amelia Sleet Burton, local African-American educator until it closed in the 1960s. It is used for classes by the church and will soon house a library.

Dr. Polk's House and Office, the Bond House and Mill and Dr. Bolling House were condemned by the city in 2014. Main Street Perryville is currently working with the state Heritage Council to develop a plan for saving the Polk and Bond properties, and the Bolling House has been dismantled.

The Polk House and Office, Buell Street, were occupied by Dr. Jefferson Polk, who became a caretaker for wounded soldiers after the Battle of Perryville. The house, built about 1850, is Greek Revival style.

The Bond House and Mill on U.S. 68-Harrodsburg Road were built in 1820. They were owned by Charles Coyle and later by his daughter and son-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. C.A. Bond. The original mill, one of the oldest in central Kentucky, was rebuilt after a fire in 1876.

The Dr. Bolling House, West Third Street, has been disassembled, marked and stored. Owners Bill and Linda Faulconer are undecided if they will rebuild the house or use the materials for restoration projects. The two-story, three-gabled house was built in 1855.

Other places are in Boyle County are: St. Patrick's Catholic Church, Junction City, and Bellevue Cemetery gates. Two other properties listed are Engineer's House, Second Street, Danville, which has a sale pending, and the Willis-Grimes House, Lebanon Road, home to Wilderness Trail Distillery. It will be renovated for a visitors' center.
St. Patrick Catholic Church in Junction City was built about 1885. It is brick and has stained glass windows and a frame bell tower. It served German and Austria immigrants in the New Austria settlement until recent years. It is for sale.

Bellevue Cemetery gates on North First Street have been restored and will continue to stand as a marker of Danville's early history. The gates at the entry of the cemetery are built of handcast wrought iron and have side doors. The cemetery was first named Danville Cemetery but was renamed Belleview and is now Bellevue Cemetery.


This article appeared in the May 13, 2015 edition of The Advocate-Messenger.