The Boone family’s memorable and praiseworthy journey through the pages of history has left a lasting and remarkable legacy of valuable lessons and anecdotes for all to celebrate and to take pride in. The many documented travels, adventures, the discoveries and experiences associated with the exploration and settlement of this Great Land of America are now legend and intriguing substance for our history books, lectures, seminars and continuing contemplative reflection regarding their effect upon our lives and our societal values and practices…all that we hold true and dear.

Nowhere is there more interesting and riveting information regarding our national legacy of accomplishment than with the heroic and colorful exploits of our frontier forbearers…brave men and women who went forward, sacrificed, overcame and prospered to establish the cultural foundation that we now covet and cling to.

It is with this responsibility for recalling and honoring our hardy, enterprising and persevering ancestors and their fellow travelers that we take upon ourselves the task of helping to preserve these fond memories and the far-flung evidence of these extraordinary lives and achievements. It is the task of your Society’s Historic Site Preservation Committee to work diligently in the interest of finding, validating, researching, documenting, archiving and preserving (sometimes restoring) the sites and artifacts representing the illustrious ones who preceded us. Not only do we have the pressing need to be involved and to encourage efforts to save and make known the many Boone and related sites of historical significance, but we must also actively promote funding sponsorships and activities so necessary to record and preserve these historical treasures.

So, you see, our responsibilities are numerous, involved and of great consequence…make no mistake about it, we are engaged in and committed to this endeavor, and rightfully so…we must assume a high degree of calling for leadership in this quest.

This project is every bit part and parcel of the mandated expectations of the charter of this Society…it’s an integral and natural consequence of our being together. It, of course, ranks right up there with reunions, fellowship, family ties, love of kin, respect and admiration for common values and experiences, the exchanging of stories and quips about ancestors, and the perpetuation of strong ties with the Boone heritage and ethos.

With each passing day, the opportunity to accomplish the preservation of nationally significant sites and artifacts is imperiled by the harm done by time, by the subtle, or sometimes dramatic, ravages of nature and by man’s intrusion upon the sanctity of, or neglect of, those treasured places.

Not only are opportunities lost to safeguard the physical presence and condition of such sites and artifacts, but we also lose, with the passing of each successive generation, certain knowledge of these sites and the stories of their relevance in history.

Just think of the losses we have already sustained in the years that have passed since our famed predecessors disappeared from the scene…since they were, once upon a time, here and capable of personally recounting their tales for posterity. Time has a way of slipping away and leaving us without the accomplishments we so desperately need and desire. Before one realizes it, years have passed and important obligations to the preservation of our heritage are unfortunately left unfulfilled.

Therefore, it is with the strong hope for renewed enthusiasm and success that we find ourselves duty-bound and compelled to go resolutely forward, to recognize and to preserve the knowledge and evidence of the heritage that we share and revere. We have a committee in name, but, in reality, we, the collective membership of The Boone Society, Inc., are all crucially important members in good standing of this committee.

No doubt, the leadership of the society and those directly charged with the functioning of the committee will guide and coordinate the things that must be attended to, but everyone, according to his or her own unique abilities and circumstances, is asked to participate in completing the things we need to do in the various locations across the breadth of our storied homeland…the geographical and philosophical palette upon which those instrumental in charting our past painted the history of events and choices by which we are all inexorably bound in brotherhood and principle.

The committee has a plan outlined, and there are things we can do immediately and in the foreseeable future, and things that will not be doable until we extend our vision and further enhance our resources and capabilities to take them on. Therefore, we expect to implement a phased-approach to our project. Some steps include:

• Develop a list of historic Boone and related sites and artifacts.
• Gather certain information about each site; e.g., location (GPS, street address), owner’s name, address, Boone lineage/relationship, etc.
• Prioritize the list
• Partner with membership to build a dynamic project organization and strategy.
• Develop project funding alternatives.
• Write a progress/needs report for each issue of Compass
• Create a new filing system with associated forms and procedures to use with a future computerized system.

Your suggestions are invited and needed. I look forward to your contribution of materials and knowledge of important Boone sites or artifacts which you feel should be included on this historic preservation list. No information is too small or obscure…ideally, we will leave no stone unturned.

We will prioritize and classify the information we assemble. Time, resources and access permitting, we will be doing focused research and evaluations to validate and classify potentially significant sites. We are asking for your personal assistance, perhaps near your place of residence where you know of confirmed or likely historical sites. It is critical that we gather accurate information and preserve the presence of these historical places. There is much work to be done!

Society board member Ken Kamper has assembled a great deal of information regarding Boone historical sites, and his work is the foundation for this project. Kamper is an integral part of this project and will serve in an advisory capacity. You may contact me at:

I will make every effort to be responsive to your suggestions and questions. Our efforts will be rewarded in the satisfaction we feel for the results that we achieve in cataloging and preserving our national historical assets…something of substance and pride that we can pass on to those who follow us.

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