01/23/2026
Why do we only appreciate good things when they're gone? Help me save this Kentucky antiquity built by pioneers. Don't tear it down. Thank you Kentucky Historic Travels !
💚 A 209-year-old home in Elizabethtown, KY, has ties to Abraham Lincoln. This home is currently in the middle of an ownership battle. It's not so much about the ownership; it's more about the fate of this historic home.
💛 The home I'm referring to is the 1817 William Bush Home. William Bush was the son of early Kentucky settler Christopher Bush (1735-1813), who moved to current-day Hardin County in the 1780s.
🤎 William was the eldest son of Christopher and Hannah Bush. He was born in 1763 in Virginia and likely accompanied his father into Kentucky. By the 1800s, William had amassed a large farm in Elizabethtown, Hardin County, KY. William married Elizabeth Rhoades in 1794 and began building his 2-story Federal-style home in 1817.
💚 The home was built in two phases. The western brick section came first. At the time, it was a 3-bay central passage home. The Bushes quickly expanded the home in the 1820s and 1830s, leading to the 7-bay, two-story brick home we see today. The additions are rather unique in that they were added to the home laterally, rather than to the back, which was the more popular way of completing additions. The additions were also carefully planned, matching the original design and details. The windows are c.1900, and the porch with Doric columns was added sometime around 1910. The home is now one of the oldest within Elizabethtown's city limits.
💛 Now, here's the Abraham Lincoln connection. William's sister, Sara Bush Johnston, married Thomas Lincoln in 1819, becoming Abe Lincoln's stepmother. The future president was only 10 years old when his father remarried. Sara Bush Johnston Lincoln played a significant role in the shaping of our future president.
🤎 With the marriage of Thomas and Sara, William Bush became the step-uncle of Abraham Lincoln.
💚 The William Bush Home was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988, but remember, the National Register doesn't protect historic buildings from demolition. I also understand that the Bush Family Cemetery is located on the property behind the home.
💛 According to a 2024 news article, "Property once owned by Fraisur and Theresa Reesor now is in a legal battle between trustees of the Third Restated Theresa J. Reesor Revocable Living Trust and grandson, Carl Jr. and wife, Charito Corvin, and somewhere caught in the crossfire is the Hardin County Board of Education, who have first option on the land and property."
🤎 I was recently contacted by Carl Corvin Jr., who informed me of the ongoing dispute; therefore, I am aware that this issue has not yet been resolved. The concern is that the purchase contract did not protect the home from being dismantled or demolished. I'm not sure of the plans for the home, but without protection, anything is possible.
💚 I know I would hate to see another priceless piece of Kentucky's heritage go unprotected and therefore have the chance of demolition. We've already lost so many historic homes, and when they are gone, we often forget the stories that go with them.
💛 If you are interested in knowing more, please see the link to the newspaper article I referenced above, in the comments below.
🤎 Don't forget to like and share so we can make more people aware. TIA
📸 courtesy of Charito Corvin
