IMAGES | Cabin at George Rogers Clark historic site in Clarksville gutted by fire

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A cabin on the historic site that was once home to George Rogers Clark was gutted by a fire Thursday evening, and fire officials aren't ruling out the possibility that it was arson. 

It's not clear what started the fire near the Falls of the Ohio State Park, which was reported around 6 p.m. Clarksville Fire Chief Brandon Skaggs said the cabin fire was one of four separate fires that broke out in the area that are being investigated. 

"We had several fires in the south Clarksville area, one being the Clark Cabin," Skaggs said. "That cabin has been here since about 2001, and when firefighters arrived on scene it was fully engulfed in flames."

The fire chief said investigators are looking into whether or not the fire could be arson, but couldn't confirm anything Thursday night.

"We're under investigation right now, so we're not ruling anything out," he said. The state fire marshal and police are also assisting in the investigation.

Neighbors who gathered at the scene told WDRB News they're now on the lookout for anyone suspicious — thinking someone deliberately started the fire.

"Some guy's afternoon of fun just turned into losing it all," Chuck Pierce said. "It's just silly. It's just wrong. It just shouldn't have happened."

They say it's a big loss for the community.

"I saw the smoke from my house and I was like, 'oh my gosh, what's on fire?' So we went and looked and, yeah ... didn't expect to see this," Brandi Boller said. "It's really hard. We came during COVID and we really wanted to go inside and they weren't doing tours at the time, so we were like 'oh next time we're here, we're gonna go,' and it's not gonna happen. It's sad, you know. It's a huge loss for this state. It really is."

The site was Clark's home from 1803-1809, according to the Falls of the Ohio website.

"It's sad, cause like, that's a part of history right there," Haley Kessinger said.

Clark and his his older brother built his home there in 1803 as a place to spend his retirement years, according to the National Parks Service. 

The cabin was rebuilt in 2001 after the original was destroyed in 1854. 

The site was also an "integral part of the Lewis and Clark expedition story," according to the Falls of of the Ohio. 

On Friday afternoon, Indiana DNR Director Dan Bortner issued the following statement:

"For twenty years, the reproduction of the George Rogers Clark cabin at Falls of the Ohio State Park has educated Hoosiers and our guests of the important role the site, and region, played in the history of our nation. This is where Merriweather Lewis and William Clark first met, in 1803, and began their journey of discovery together. It has long served as a peaceful place for Americans to meet, reflect, and celebrate events in their lives. We are deeply saddened by this loss."

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