May, 2005

Dear Ward Hall Supporter -

Simply put, we need:
1. Money
2. Volunteers

In May 2004, after years of speculation and uncertainty, Ward Hall and 40 surrounding acres became the property of the Ward Hall Preservation Foundation, Inc. The purchase price was $957,000. Local developer Jim Barlow contributed $250,000 toward the purchase price and Senator Damon Thayer helped the Foundation secure approval of a $500,000 Transportation Cabinet grant. When the grant dollars are actually received, they too will be applied to the purchase price. The unpaid balance of $707,000 is accruing interest at 6% per annum. Therefore, we need to raise a minimum of $250,000. This debt must be retired by May of 2006.

With the tremendous interest shown last year with 8,000 visitors in only 4 weekends, we feel the need to be open more often, and to make Ward Hall as accessible as possible. To that end we need volunteers who can be trained to give tours. We need volunteers to help with maintenance, correspondence, research, fund raising, mailings, and publicity. We need volunteers to help with planning and operation of special events.

Much is happening in the upcoming months, and we hope that we can count on our supporters for help.

David Stuart, Chairman
Ward Hall Preservation Foundation, Inc.
859.396.4257
wardhall.net, wardhall.org, wardhall.info

Ward Hall News

1. Our website is up and running, so check us out at wardhall.org.

2. The Kentucky Heritage Council has completed an 85-page "Condition Report" on Ward Hall. The purpose of this report is to identify and qualify rehabilitation needs. This report will be available during our open houses. We also have the ability to e-mail this report to you, should you wish.

3. A photograph, shown below, of the great cast iron stove which was made in Louisville and installed in the Lakeport (Johnson family) property in Arkansas will be on display in the basement kitchen at Ward Hall. We believe an identical stove was installed at Ward Hall.

4. A photograph, shown below, of a principal Ward Hall furnishing, a Belter Sofa, has been given to us by Dr. Horace Hambrick. This will help us identify the type of opulent furnishings originally present at Ward Hall.

5. Our first and second ward Hall One Hundred members are Georgetown-Scott County Tourism and Nally & Gibson. Each has given the Foundation a donation of $10,000. Thank you for your valued leadership and support.

6. Our thanks to the Scott County Woman's Club for naming us as one of their charities for their Pre-Derby Party. We are deeply honored.

July 22, 23, 24 Ward Hall Ward & Johnson Family Reunion, below.

We are planning an Antique and Civil War show for September/October... We need volunteers in order to accomplish this event.

Our Christmas Open House will be November 26 and 27.

Other dates as they materialize can be found on our website.

Ward Hall Needs -
We are still in need of high style Victorian furniture to fill in the gaps on the main floor and in the bedrooms. We are desperate for large poster or tester beds, dressers, and armoires... These pieces can be donated, or placed on permanent loan.

Ward Hall will be the setting July 22 to 24 or the third reunion of the Johnson and Ward and related families including the Suggetts, Vileys, Caves, Bradleys, and Flournoys . Descendants of Robert and Jemima Suggett Johnson and of the slaves, servants, and employees of the various family members will attend, along with persons who are interested in the story of this family that provided one of America’s early political dynasties. The Johnsons in 1783 established a stockaded station at the Big Crossings, a buffalo crossing of North Elkhorn Creek a short distance northwest of Ward Hall. The first two events in this series took place in 2001 and 2003 at Lakeport, Arkansas, the Mississippi Delta home of Lycurgus Johnson, a first cousin of Junius Ward, the original owner of Ward Hall. Those events were sponsored by the Arkansas State University Lakeport Restoration Project. The Ward Hall Preservation Foundation, which works with the Arkansas project in a regional alliance, will sponsor the 2005 event. The Johnson dynasty included, in 1826, three members in the United States Congress and Senate - Richard M. Johnson as U.S. Senator, James Johnson as sitting Congressman, and John T. Johnson as Congressman-elect. Other family members were to expand this involvement as the next few decades moved on and as new states were added to the Union. Johnson family members became government leaders not only in Kentucky but in Ohio, Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, Colorado, and Texas, to mention a few. Already registered for the event are family members and others interested in the history of the Ward and Johnson family from Arkansas, Mississippi, Texas, Arkansas, and Kansas. Descendants of slaves and African American descendants of U.S. Vice President Richard M. Johnson are expected to attend. Speakers will include Kentucky State Historian James C. Klotter, professor of history at Georgetown College; Lindsey Apple, retired Georgetown College history professor Lindsey Apple, a Clay and Johnson family historian; Tom DeBlack, professor of history at Arkansas Tech University and Southern and Johnson family historian; and Angela Bates, director of the Nicodemus, Kansas, National Historic Site and a descendant of slaves owned by Richard M. Johnson and his son-in-law Daniel Pence. Suzy Schuhmann of Louisville will present her Kentucky Chautauqua presentation of Sallie Ward, a niece of Junius and Matilda Viley Ward who was famed as the belle of Louisville throughout her life that was full of daring episodes including four husbands. During the three-day event tours will be available to the 45 properties in Scott County that relate to the Johnson family, and specialists will be on hand to record oral history contributions of those attending and to copy on site photographs and documents. Ron Bryant, history instructor at Lexington Community College and historian for the Kentucky state parks system, and Dr. Apple will serve as tour leaders. Ann Bolton Bevins is acting as event chairperson. All are invited - program, invitation, and registration form are included. They may be previewed via the links, below, or downloaded by right-clicking the noted links. Please note that the registration deadline has been extended to July 8. Ann Bevins, Reunion Chair 1175 Lexington Road Georgetown, KY 40324 abbevins@bellsouth.net Many have expressed an interest in volunteering at Ward Hall. Now the first major need for volunteers has arisen. The foundation board is making spring through fall plans for the house. We have some events on the schedule but we would also like to have the house open on some type of regular schedule throughout the warm weather months. That's where volunteers come in. The handful of board members cannot possibly provide the coverage needed for regular open hours but if we had a group of docents to work with us, it would be feasible to be open at the very least, one weekend a month. Open hours would probably be 10 to 5, on Saturdays, and 1 to 5 on Sundays. If we had enough trained volunteers, every weekend might be possible. Each weekend we are open, we would need a minimum of 15 volunteers. There would be three shifts with 5 people needed for each shift. Saturday we would divide the open hours in half with a team for the first shift and another for the second. On Sunday, one team of 5 could work the entire afternoon. In addition to conducting tours, we need docents to simply welcome guests, provide some security and just be available for questions from guests. If you were to volunteer as a docent, you would need to attend a training session. This would involve coming to ward Hall for two to three hours, where you would see a demonstration of the tour we would give visitors, receive printed training material and have an opportunity to ask questions. At that time, you could see a schedule and have the opportunity to make your commitment for a specific time slot. If you would like to volunteer, please email us! Please remember to include as much information as possible, including your contact information, and the best time to contact you. Thank you.