BURLINGTON — As Boone County's face changes daily, the “boom county” is taking a whole month to honor those who preserve a sense of what it was like here before growth engines like Delta Air Lines, the Florence Mall and Interstate 275 arrived.

        The county is honoring 15 people or organizations for work on places that represent the county's rural heritage. The National Trust for Historic Preservation's “Preserving the Spirit of Place” preservation week was extended throughout this month.

BOONE COUNTY

Boone County Preservation Month Events     Open House May 11, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Split Rock Conservation Park     Ice-cream Social May 19, 2 p.m. - 4 p.m. Dinsmore Homestead Foundation     Winners of Boone County Historic Preservation awards:    Winner — Project     Boone County Fiscal Court — Clerk's Building     Burlington Presbyterian Church — Support of Big Bone Lick State Park, Dinsmore Homestead Foundation, Boone Conservancy     Kristi and Danny Schalk — Tousey House, Burlington     Richard Crisler — Cave Johnson House, North Bend, Crisler Mounds     Cathy and Mike Simpson — Arnold House, Walton     Boone County Property Maintenance Dept. — Burlington Presbyterian Church     Dale Bardes — Carlton House, Rabbit Hash     Robert Maurer — Work as Review Board Chairman     Edna Flower — Rabbit Hash Historical Society bequest     Ruth Wade Cox Brunings — Bedinger Farm, Gunpowder Church     Dan Weber — Wilson Cemetery     Jerry Garbett — Old Burlington Church     Jan Garbett — “River Born, Kentucky Bred” curriculum     Margo Warminski — Historic Structures of Boone County, Kentucky report

        The Boone County Historic Preservation Review Board expanded the county's celebration because one week isn't long enough, said Matt Becher, rural/open space planner for the Boone County Planning Commission.

        “The heritage of Boone County is represented by its rural landscapes, historic buildings, archaeological sites, and historic documents,” said Mr. Becher.

        The 264-square-mile county, with its seat at Burlington, was established in 1798 from a portion of Campbell County and named for Daniel Boone, Kentucky's famed frontiersman and settler. For most of its history, the county was rural and agrarian.

        Economic growth, increasing development and a 49.32 percent population jump between 1990 and 2000 have made the county one of the fastest-growing and richest in Kentucky.

        The change coexists with a rich heritage of small towns, big farms and fast horses.

        “This heritage is kept alive by people who have a love for the history of their community and who are dedicated to preserving it,” Mr. Becher said.

        A preservation review board made up of seven Boone County residents chose people who have undertaken a project that furthers the preservation of Boone County's heritage.

        Winners will receive a framed certificate or plaque.

        Danny Schalck, co-owner of the Tousey House Restaurant, said he offered to host the invitation-only awards dinner on Tuesday nightlong before he knew he was a winner.

        “It should be here,” he said, adding that it makes sense since his restaurant is in the county seat and brings a lot of history to the table.

        “It was originally a residence,” Mr. Schalck said. The Touseys, he said, are believed to be among the first settlers in Boone County. The building later became a general store, then an inn for visiting judges and other government officials.

        It was abandoned for a while and then rented out as office and retail space.

        Mr. Schalck bought the building, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, in 1998. He and his wife started their plans to convert it to an upscale American-contemporary/Southern restaurant.

        Mr. Schalck said he is proud of the award because preserving the building was not an easy task.

        “We lost some of the conveniences in the kitchen to keep the historic value of the structure,” he said.

        Each person or group receiving an award demonstrated dedication, Mr. Becher said, to the preservation of Boone County's heritage.

        “Boone County Fiscal Court responded to citizens' voices and saved the circa-1836 Boone County Clerk's Building from the wrecking ball,” Mr. Becher said.

        “The Clerk's Building is the oldest surviving government building in Boone County and is also one of its oldest Greek revival buildings,” he said.

        Another winner, Richard Crisler, is rehabilitating his ancestral home, the circa 1797 Cave Johnson House. He intends to permanently protect the 800-acre farm by establishing a preservation easement on the property.

        Some are helping and being honored even after their death, as in the case of a retired Procter & Gamble secretary who left thousands of dollars to the crossroads of Rabbit Hash.

        Through a generous bequest to the Rabbit Hash Historical Society, winner Edna Flower has done more than anyone to preserve Boone County's Rabbit Hash area, Mr. Becher said.

        Jan Garbett completed “River Born, Kentucky Bred,” the fourth-grade heritage education curriculum for Boone County, which has won local and state preservation awards and has been nominated for a national award from the American Association of State and Local History.

        Two free public events will be held to honor preservation in Boone County. From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on May 11, the Historic Preservation Review Board and Wildlife Conservation Kentucky will co-sponsor an open house at Split Rock Conservation Park, 4503 Belleview Road, between Petersburg and Belleview.

        An ice-cream social will be 2-4 p.m. on May 19 at the Dinsmore Homestead, just west of Burlington.

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