Holt House group seeks 400 $100 donors
to secure matching funds for restoration

The Friends of the Holt House, a Breckinridge County volunteer group, is seeking 400 donors to give $100 each.

If that’s accomplished by Sept. 22, the resulting $40,000 will help secure funds needed to match grants. Those grants will make restoration of the historic Judge Joseph Holt House a reality.

Susan Dyer, who has spearheaded restoration efforts, said $8,000 already has been received or pledged and that an all-out effort will be made by the Friends group to reach the September goal.

The Holt House, home of the nation’s first judge advocate general, was purchased by the Breckinridge County Fiscal Court in 2008 through a $158,000 Kentucky Lincoln Bicentennial Preservation Grant. Subsequently, grants of $150,000 and $500,000 were received and the 19.5 acres surrounding the mansion have been restored and work will begin soon on the roof, windows and exterior of the structure, built in circa 1850.

Joseph Holt, born in 1807, was a prominent lawyer who served as commissioner of patents (1857), postmaster general (1859) and secretary of war (1860) under President James Buchanan. He achieved national prominence while serving in the administration of President Abraham Lincoln, who appointed him judge advocate general in 1862, a position he held until 1875.

Holt’s most memorable role as JAG came following the assassination of President Lincoln, when Holt presided over the trial of the Lincoln assassination conspirators including Mary Surratt, the first woman ever hanged by the federal government.
Dyer, who introduced many to Holt in 2009 through her best-selling book, Lincoln’s Advocate, The Life of Judge Joseph Holt, became a leading force in restoring the Holt House in 1997. She first saw the 14-room mansion while on a Sunday afternoon drive.

“It touched my heart,” the retired school teacher said, “and cried out for help.”

She researched the house and the life of Holt, which led to the book. She then led efforts to form support organizations and restore the home to its original status.

“Restoration of the Holt House will put another jewel in Kentucky’s Civil War crown,” Dyer noted. “It will become another major attraction for the Commonwealth and a symbol of pride for Breckinridge Countians as a means of honoring a very prominent native son.

“During the Civil War, the name of Joseph Holt was well known. But, through the years, he became a forgotten man and his house fell into disrepair after being abandoned for more than 40 years.”

Dyer has championed the cause to rekindle interest in the history and legacy of Holt. One of her major triumphs was to convince filmmaker-actor Robert Redford to include Holt in his 2011 film, “The Conspirator,” which focused on the trial and execution of the Lincoln conspirators.

“Gifts and pledges are welcome and will be very much appreciated as we seek to reach our $40,000 goal,” Dyer commented. “Tax-deductible checks should be made out to BCHS/FHH (Breckinridge County Historical Society/Friends of the Holt House) and mailed to BCHS/FHH, Box 498, Hardinsburg, KY  40144.”

More information is available at www.jholt-houseky.org.