Fire at two Greenville buildings called a loss for community’s history

GREENVILLE, Ky. (WEHT) As Greenville firefighters continue on their investigation into final Thursday’s fire at two prolonged standing properties, we’re discovering extra about the historical past at the rear of the two constructions and the loss of a historic part of the neighborhood. 

Past Thursday’s fireplace direct to the destruction of two structures that were being equally a lot more than a century aged. Neighborhood historians say it is a decline for each the community, and the county’s history.

The fire, followed by the demolition, lasted most of past Thursday. Hundreds of several years of historical past, gone in a person working day.

“It’s substantial adequate that I cannot really even place my head about it at this level,” reported local historian Barry Duvall.

“We are blessed there was no loss of lifetime, but it however hurts to shed the structures,” additional Amy Walters, archivist for the Muhlenberg Co. Public Library.

Community historians say the Summers developing was built about 1872 by Thomas Summers, and sat at the intersection of East Major Cross and Principal Avenue. It’s also considered by some one particular of the oldest structures in the county. It’s housed firms ranging from banking companies to most not too long ago a cafe. Walters claims according to nearby legend that some dispute, Summers crafted the constructing as a way to get a woman to marry him.

“Originally, he designed a person tale and she however explained no, and he included yet another tale, she said no. By the time he got to the third tale, she agreed to marry him,” she stated.

“There’s a couple of fallacies around it. I’ve never ever definitely endorsed it, even though my heritage heroes past that story down,” included Duvall.

Subsequent door was the Rogers developing. Walters suggests it was designed about 1906 by J.L. Rogers, and also experienced diverse companies around the decades. Walters and other nearby historians, like Duvall, say past week’s fireplace is the most current catastrophe to take away a aspect of downtown’s history.

“The Summers setting up has essentially been plagued by hearth. I know of two occasions. It was weakened in the 1898 fire, which quite much wrecked that total block, besides that developing,” reported Duvall.

“We’ve misplaced so lots of of our downtown structures previously to disasters, or just decay, and with that one particular currently being the oldest remaining just one, the Summers creating, it hurts,” said Walters.

Both equally Walters and Duvall tell us that there are initiatives underway to preserve the historical past of each of people buildings lengthy immediately after the internet site is apparent.

As for the site by itself, the proprietor of the two buildings claims particles removal could get started in at least a couple weeks, due to the fact they’re nonetheless in the organizing levels and have to distinct a couple hurdles just before debris removing can start.

(This story was originally posted on April 11, 2022)