[2Wycked]

You might not think this is an important story -- and it really isn't in the grand scheme of things -- but it is sad when parts of our collective heritage pass on into the night:

Quote:

The 185-year-old Rabbit Hash General Store lay in ruins Monday, but it isn't dead.

Store proprietor Terrie Markesbery hopes to re-open as early as this weekend in the adjacent barn after a devastating fire Saturday that destroyed the landmark general store.

Markesbery wants to hold the weekly music series as planned in the barn this Sunday from 2:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m. if she can get the proper permits for alcohol sales. She also wants to set up a temporary general store in the barn while the store is rebuilt.

"Who knows?" Markesbery said. "It could be just another chapter in the history of the general store. Chicago burned down, right?"

The foundation and some of the floor remain. The only part of the iconic facade of the store that was saved says "Tobacco, Sundries, Potions and Notions."

The loss of the Rabbit Hash General Store has hit the region hard. The store's small-town Americana charm helped make it one of the most recognizable landmarks in Northern Kentucky. People from all over the region have raised $32,000 as of Monday morning in a GoFundMe campaign hoping to reach $250,000 to rebuild the store.

The store was insured, but no one knows how much it will cost to re-open the store.

"The community is still there," Markesbery said. "The place is in people's heart. We just have to rebuild."

What ultimately destroyed the Rabbit Hash General Store on Saturday might never be known.

The investigation into the fire has concluded, said Belleview-McVille Fire Chief Jeff Hermes.

A potbelly stove might have sparked it because the fire started in the roof where the stovepipes were, Hermes said. But investigators won't know for sure, Hermes said. Firefighters ruled out arson.

The charred ruins have attracted crowds the past two days, Hermes said. He's urging people to avoid the area until the insurance investigators and the store's owner, the Rabbit Hash Historical Society, can complete their investigation and cleanup.

"It's a really big blow," Hermes said. "The community is trying to make a positive out of it. There are a lot of pledges of support."

Yeah, it's gone now:







While these sorts of losses aren't significant on their own usually, it matters in the aggregate when we lose the markers of our past. We often take for granted the significance that historical time imbues in the things or buildings around us. A new store will be erected in the place of the Rabbit Hash, but it simply won't have the value nor command the respect that the original had.

Here is a short video about the history of the store:

Any thoughts?