FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

The Boone Society Launches Community Project To Preserve Historic Bourbon County, KY Graveyard

www.RockbridgeGraveyardBooneSociety.org

The Boone Society, Inc. will oversee the preservation and rededication of the Rockbridge Baptist Church Graveyard, final resting place of Edward "Ned" Boone, brother of Daniel Boone, who was killed by Indians while hunting with Daniel in 1780. Preservation work is scheduled to begin in the spring of 2005.

The graveyard, located on the farm of Mr. Ronnie Johnson at 1139 Levy Road, has been abandoned for over a century. With the help of local volunteers, The Boone Society will clean up the weed-infested graveyard and have it registered as a
state historical landmark.

In October of 1780, Daniel and Edward Boone stopped at a creek in present-day Bourbon County to cool their horses. Daniel wandered off to hunt game while Edward remained at the creek. As Edward sat beneath a buckeye tree cracking
nuts, a group of Indians sneaked up and shot him to death. The Indians sent their dog after Daniel, who shot the dog and escaped on foot back to Boone Station near present-day Athens.

The next morning Daniel Boone and a party of men returned to bury Edward at the bank of the creek where he was slain. With the possibility of Indians lurking nearby, Edward's burial was informal and performed with haste. The creek became known as "Boone Creek" in recognition of Edward's death and burial there. The story of Daniel Boone's escape quickly spread throughout the frontier and back east.

In 1827 water at Boone Creek washed some of Edward's bones to the surface. Rev. Richard Thomas, pastor of the nearby Rockbridge Baptist Church, collected the bones and re-interred them approximately 1 mile away in his churchyard. The church eventually lost active membership and, with its graveyard, faded away within the hills of Bourbon County.

The graveyard's existence and location has recently come to the attention of some of Edward Boone's descendants who formed a preservation committee.

The preservation design, estimated to cost between $6,000 to $10,000, calls for erecting a rustic split-rail fence around the perimeter and planting native wildflowers as groundcover among the many limestone markers scattered
throughout the graveyard. Visitors to the preserved graveyard will be taken back in time to a beautifully preserved pioneer burial ground.

Boone Society president Rochelle Cochran explains, "This is actually a continuing project to finish the work of the 1996 committee who in 2001 dedicated the marker at the site of Edward's original grave at See Road. Our preservation design for the Rockbridge Baptist Church Graveyard will maintain continuity between the two companion-sites."

An interpretive marker at the graveyard will tell the story of Rev. Richard Thomas rescuing Edward Boone's bones from the creek. "Tribute will be given to the good pastor who re-interred the remains in a more secure and hallowed ground," says committee chair Jeff Johnson. "Rev. Thomas gave Edward Boone the kind of burial Daniel could not."

Time and the elements have taken their toll on the grave markers. Only a few of the approximately 75 fragile limestone markers retain traces of their original
inscriptions and mystery surrounds the exact location of Edward Boone's second grave.

The Boone Society has retained University of Kentucky archeologist and Bourbon County resident Nancy O'Malley. Depending on the amount of funds raised for the project, Ms. O'Malley might interrogate the graveyard for Edward Boone's remains. An underground radar device may be able to detect anomalies under the surface consistent with the burial of a box of bones. If such an anomaly is detected, the remains may be excavated for DNA testing.

The preservation work, which is expected to take several months to complete, will culminate in a rededication ceremony. "We'll need a local Baptist minister and pioneer and militia reenactment groups," says committee member Sherrill Thomas. "The rededication will be a living history event and honors will be rendered to Rev. Thomas and Edward Boone." If Edward Boone's remains are positively identified, they will be re-interred during the rededication ceremony.

The Boone Society is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization and funds will have to be raised to complete this historic project. Committee member Wilson Zaring explains, "Success can only be achieved through financial donations and with
the support of the citizens of Bourbon County and surrounding areas. We wouldn't be attempting this had we not had such a wonderful experience with the death site memorial project in 2001."

The Boone Society is actively seeking volunteer groups, such as scouting and youth groups, as well as individuals, to assist with the clean up work. To find out how you can help, please contact Jeff Johnson at (770) 237-0172 or visit www.RockbridgeGraveyardBooneSociety.org