Perryville preservation group disbands,
noting its mission has been completed

A group dedicated to preserving Perryville’s significance as a Civil War site has announced it is disbanding.

Bruce Richardson, a businessman and former Perryville mayor, stated in a May 7 letter delivered to the Perryville City Council that the Perryville Battlefield Preservation Association (PBPA) has decided to call it quits after 20 years.

Richardson, chairman of the PBPA, said that a lack of funds due to “the dismal condition of the state treasury,” and the fact that the Perryville Battlefield has formed its own corporation to secure funds for expansion, led the PBPA board to a logical conclusion to disband later this year.

The PBPA’s successes since the association was formed have resulted in an expansion of the battlefield from 99 acres to more than 750 today, Richardson reported.

“I believe we have completed our mission,” he added.

Richardson thanked the council for its focus on the long-term goal of the city to grow without sacrificing historically significant properties.

“We are already working toward a transition,” he said.

The proposed transition plan includes releasing the lease PBPA holds with the City of Perryville on seven downtown properties. The properties will now be leased to the Main Street Program for $1 each for 99 years with an obligation, according to program director Vicki Goode, to maintain and restore them.

Four other properties the PBPA owns will be deeded outright to the Main Street Program.

Goode hopes the transition will not only be smooth, but also speedy as she is ready to move forward.

“Long-term, we have always wanted to have a museum in one of the historic buildings,” she said.

Goode also suggested that the Kentucky Civil War Sesquicentennial might be the perfect time to sell some Civil War items now in storage in order to raise money for the restoration of properties.