12/18/2023
Glad to see interest in Fort Covington history.
History is preserved in concrete, recognizable forms: writing, art, buildings, etc. When we fail to recognize the importance of saving a building, a chance is lost to use that building as a teaching tool. Architecture, cultural significance, and the chance to build on the past are reasons to save a structure.
New buildings can replace old, but cannot replace the craftsmanship, workmanship or even the old growth timber and brick. There is no chance to restore or save a historic site once it's gone.
Using a structure far beyond its intended and original use, house or church or factory, lends itself to continuity, to a purpose linked to the past, anchored to the present to lead us into the future.
Two houses in Fort Covington have succumbed to the wrecking ball in the past year: one due to neglect and the other to fire. These two reasons, plus development (is new always better?) have caused a shift in responsibility. This response, to raze and destroy, rather than protect and preserve have caused countless historic landmarks to disappear forever. We must all do more to save a tangible piece of history,
Buildings are our history; it’s the only one we have.
This house was constructed during the Civil War, before the railroad came through in 1885. The gingerbread molding on the roof is a unique feature, gone forever.
Now, construction crews are busy with something, but whatever will replace this dwelling will not replace its’ place in history, known as the Sweet home.
