Patrick Brennan, and Cameron Knight

Cincinnati

The Rabbit Hash residents who worked for decades to preserve the historic buildings of their small river town are already planning to rebuild their iconic Rabbit Hash General Store after it burned to the ground Saturday.

In its approximately 185 years in existence, the clapboard store on Lower River Road in Boone County withstood all manner of threats — multiple floods, landslides and the Great Depression, to name a few. Through it all, the store and its recognizable front facade remained an unmistakable landmark in Northern Kentucky culture.

The fire was reported about 9:15 p.m., and about 11:30 p.m. firefighters pulled down the picturesque facade of the store. Later, the front sign of the store was salvaged from the wreckage and stored in a nearby barn.

The fire that began inside the building was too much for the old, mostly-wooden structure, however. It burned throughout a nearly five-hour firefight in near-sub-zero temperatures and was destroyed.

The store had been in continual operation since 1831, according to the Rabbit Hash Historical Society – a span in which 38 U.S. presidents took office. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.

As the building burned late Saturday, residents gathered nearby, some crying and one group singing "Amazing Grace."

Through tears, Bobbi Kayser, member of the Rabbit Hash Historical Society Board of Directors, said there was a feeling of magic whenever she stepped inside the store.

"We call it the center of the universe, and that's because when you're here, you actually feel like you're in the center of the universe," Kayser said.

Firefighters were able to pull some merchandise from the store, but only a few larger pieces. Many of the pieces were charred or damaged by smoke.

"The only way I can describe it is I feel like my mom died," said Don Clare, vice president of the Rabbit Hash Historical Society. "It's a devastation. I've always used the word 'devastating,' but you don't realize what the word means until something like this happens."

In the 1980s, Clare spent years rebuilding an 1840s log cabin in Rabbit Hash as he worked as a nurse in the Christ Hospital emergency room. He said there's a lot in his heart for the town and the nearby river. He named his daughter after the first female to pilot a riverboat on the Ohio River.

The historical society owns the general store and leases the building to Terry Markesbery, who runs the business inside. Clare said everyone in the historical society, Markesbery, and everyone he's spoken to that make Rabbit Hash a destination are in agreement: the Rabbit Hash General Store will be rebuilt.

Sunday night, a GoFundMe campaign had already raised over $30,000 toward rebuilding efforts.

"It's encouraging to me because it's very unusual for people to take up the banner for something historic and something of heritage," Clare said. He explained that the store is part of the Rabbit Hash Historic District, which is made up of seven 19th century buildings.

"We treat them all like a fine antique, and when you've got a fine antique, you don't throw it in a box and tape it up, you use it," Clare said. "The only thing that keeps these buildings viable is adaptive reuse ... it's been used and it stays vibrant that way."

The road to possibly rebuilding could be a long one, Kayser cautioned.

The Rabbit Hash Historical Society, an all-volunteer organization, only receives money via donations. Most of its money was depleted after a July landslide damaged one of the buildings on the property, Kayser said.

"There's insurance. I have no idea what the depth of the insurance coverage will be," Kayser said. "I mean, I just can't even begin to imagine what's going to happen there. It's never enough."

Clare explained that the rebuilding process would also have to be done with care if the building's status of the National Register of Historic Places is to be preserved.

He said fire inspectors assured him Sunday the foundations of the building are intact.

One thing that's for sure is the store will never be the same.

"We can't replace the historic boards and the antiques that were in there," Kayser said. "But what we can replace, I think, is the spirit with the store. We're going to need a lot of help to do that."

Bellevue-McVille Fire Chief Jeff Herms told the Associated Press that the cause of the fire wasn't immediately determined, although arson has been ruled out.

Even though much of the general store is now ashes, people were still drawn to it on Sunday. So many, in fact, that a Boone County Sheriff's deputy was posted at the site to stop people from entering the unstable remains of the building, Clare said.

"You wouldn't believe the visitors," he said. "They're like mourners...it's like they just want to see it with their own eyes."