SHELBYVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The cabins at Lake Shelby are falling apart.
The floors are falling in, the roofs are destroyed and the logs are rotted.
Originally built in Frankfort in the 1700s, the cabins were donated to Shelby County Parks in the late-90s. The cabins were a hit the first few years. Festivals and reenactments brought in "thousands," according to Joseph Ruble, a local historian who was instrumental in getting the cabins to Lake Shelby. Now, he and two others have to find another home for them, or they'll be torn down.
The park system doesn't have the money to keep them up, and it can't afford repairs or a rebuild, Park Director Matt Mattingly said. However, they're open to relocating the cabin if it won't cost the park.
The porch of one of the cabins at Lake Shelby.
That's why Ruble and his cohorts, Barry Campbell and Betty Anderson, have formed a committee to save the cabins.
"When those kids came through here, you can tell they enjoyed what they were seeing and learning," Ruble said as he recalled when the cabins were used for educational purposes.
That's what this committee ultimately wants to do: use the cabins as a way to educate and represent Shelby County and Kentucky's farming history.
"I want to see kids walking through them, learning about how the depression hit in this county and this state and how it affected every farmer and every family," said Campbell, a farmer himself.
"To be able to have the cabins be part of that and have the cabins utilized for education again would be a dream come true," added Anderson, a retired history teacher.
As of late, the cabins have been subject to break-ins at Lake Shelby. Contents have been stolen out of both cabins, and a hole was even burned in one of the floors.
So, where could the cabin move?
The committee has several ideas, but their goal now is to relocate to Red Orchard Park in Shelbyville. There, the cabins would be more visible, protected by a fence and watched by a guard.Â
That alone could be what it takes to sustain the place.
The committee's biggest need is money. They'll rely solely on donations for the relocation and the repairs. The park system just can't afford to pitch in.
But Ruble, Anderson and Campbell are certain that money will come, and the cabins will continue to represent Bluegrass past.
"It is one of the few examples we have available to save and actually move it where it will be seen and utilize," Anderson said.
Ruble said the estimated cost for this project could be anywhere from $20,000 to 30,000.
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