FORT MITCHELL — A battle over the development of one of the last working farms between Covington and Florence has inspired four Fort Mitchell women to start the city's first historical society.

A development of 58 homes is proposed for the 25-acre Krumpelman Farm site. ([name of photographer] photo) | ZOOM |

        “A few of us had talked about forming some sort of organization, but the Krumpelman Farm issue was what really pushed us to get serious about this,” said Kimberly Plummer.

        For the past four years, Mrs. Plummer, a history buff who has renovated old houses, and her husband, Michael, a Fort Mitchell councilman, have lived in a Ridge Road home that was built the same year that Fort Mitchell was incorporated — 1910.

        When a developer proposed converting the nearby 137-year-old Krumpelman produce farm into an upscale subdivision this summer, Mrs. Plummer joined several neighbors in trying to save the farmhouse and a small smokehouse that's listed on the National Register of Historic Places. (Placement on the National Register can protect a structure from demolition by the government, but it does not restrict a private owner from tearing it down.)

IF YOU GO

What: Organizational meeting of the Fort Mitchell Historical Society    When: 7:30 p.m., Aug. 26    Where: For the meeting location, call (859) 331-3356.    Needed: Besides volunteers, the new group is looking for a place to store old photographs, oral histories and other historical artifacts documenting Fort Mitchell's 92-year history. The new organization also is seeking donations of items, as well as older residents who are interested in giving oral histories.

        Keeney Development Co. of Erlanger has an option to buy the 26-acre Krumpelman Farm in the 1900 block of Dixie Highway and convert it into the Olde Fort Mitchell Subdivision with 58 single-family homes costing $400,000 and up. The Kenton County & Municipal Planning and Zoning Commission approved a development plan July 11.

        Fort Mitchell City Council, citing irregularities in the plan, recently appealed the decision.

        Mrs. Plummer and three other women — Becky Bilbo, Marsha Murphy and Nancy Whitehurst — have tried to find a foundation or some other entity with deep pockets to buy the farmhouse or at least the smokehouse, so that the buildings from one of the area's last working farms could be preserved.

        Although the women asked Fort Mitchell City Council to consider buying part of the property or its buildings, the city doesn't have any money budgeted, and some officials have questioned whether the house on the property is the original homestead.

        “Something like that would be a fairly expensive endeavor, and council's not had any significant or serious discussion about it,” said Fort Mitchell Administrator Bill Goetz. “I don't think council's given any thought to it as a group.”

        While it may be too late for the Krumpelman site, the women hope the controversy will remind Fort Mitchell residents of the historical landmarks, artifacts and oral histories that could be lost if steps aren't taken to preserve them.

        “Knowing the local history gives a community a sense of its purpose and a story of its place,” said Karl Litzenmayer, past president of the Kenton County Historical Society. “Once something is gone, it's irretrievable.”

        Fort Mitchell has a number of sites on the National Register of Historic Places, including Beechwood Road, Highland Cemetery and the Old Fort Mitchell neighborhood, Mrs. Plummer said.

        During the Civil War, an earthworks on the hill between the end of Summit Lane and Barrington Road near Dixie Highway was one of 23 such fortifications used by Union armies to guard Cincinnati against a Confederate invasion.

        The city also boasts a number of residents who have lived there a half-century or more and have historical artifacts or stories to share.

        “It's usually some sort of historical crisis that causes people to form a group like this,” Mr. Litzenmayer said. “In Erlanger, they formed a historical society over 10 years ago to save the old railroad depot.”

        While the women who are lobbying for a Fort Mitchell historical society live in the Old Fort Mitchell neighborhood, they see their quest as a citywide effort.

        “I've had so many people come up to me and say, "I know someone who has a story, or my mother has something you might be able to use,' ” Mrs. Plummer said. “There's so much history here in our city. We're hoping to get an archive going and find a place to store artifacts, photos, and oral histories of our senior citizens.”

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