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**Last Lincoln Landmark UPDATE 4**Nov 2025.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone. We are thankful for all your support as this goes on. Our original lawsuit merely asked the judge to let everyone know who has the rightful contracted claim to the Old Bush House. Us or the School Board. The Board seemed unwilling to let that go forward without suing us separately for asking the judge to step in and judge.
They call it "tortious interference" for using the courts for their sole intended purpose. Therefore, our original simple case hasn't moved an inch because we have to defend ourselves from the school boards letigious and costly lawsuit against us. Updates are few and far between but we will try to keep you posted. Please follow @LincolnLandmark on X and @Lincoln_Landmark on Instagram where we will share more important history about the home.
Stay Strong,
Carl and Charito
**UPDATE 3**
It's been two weeks since our last update and I apologize for the lag. We were traveling for work back to DC and had full schedules of meetings while there. We're so appreciative of your support and time invested in helping this cause. I wanted to provide a quick update that we received a response from the Superintendent of the School Board buying the property. It was a short message to say that she passed our initial message to the Board and she didn't respond because she didn't have concerns or questions regarding our request.
So we remain in a waiting room for the time being until we are assured that the home will not be demolished by the local School Board. Please continue to share our story.
Until we know any legal outcomes, I'll continue to share similar success stories so we can all visualize a winning scenario for all.
During one of my meetings, I had the chance to hear a great story at the CIA, that I will share here:
Thank you for the support and encouragement. As servicemembers and graduates of the School Board that the county oversees, we have a deep appreciation for historical preservation, integrity, and honoring past heroes. Your support gives us the wind we need to continue.
With gratitude,
Charito
**UPDATE 2:**Thanks to the News Enterprise for featuring our cause on the front page!
https://www.thenewsenterprise.com/news/local/families-wage-legal-battle-over-historic-home/article_c2c523c3-824e-527e-a032-470ab726064d.html
**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 the petition (link below) or donate here. 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
Your voice in our petition to preserve this historic home matters. Please continue to share--sign the petition (link below) or donate here. 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!
Why it Matters: The house has been meticulously cared for by our grandparents, the late WWII veteran & Ky Colonel, Fraisur Reesor and his wife Theresa, since the 1960s, and it continues to stand as a testament to the rich, pioneer history of our community and our nation. 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
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: 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 the Petition: You can also just donate your signature to our petition in lieu of money: https://www.change.org/p/save-the-old-bush-place-from-being-demolished
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.
Learn more about the Old Bush Place:
Here's our court case:
Read our letters to the School Board and Dept of Education:
Photo credit: By Jim Roberts - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=76058665