For further information contact:
Donna Herring, dmherring@earthlink.net, 740-924-0516
Karen Holt, karen.holt@yahoo.com, 740-924-9355

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (April 8, 2007):
---Photos available---

CAPTAIN SCOTT HOUSE MOVING SOON

Last week, when a utility pole blew over and SR 37 was closed at 161 
for about an hour, many people who came to the intersection thought the 
Captain Scott house was moving. "The basement was out from under it, 
and they had two of their big flatbed trucks on location," said Donna 
Herring, chair of the Friends of Captain Scott committee of the 
Alexandria Community Council. "I got some calls and rushed out there, 
because that was lots earlier than I expected, but it was a false alarm."

The house may be ready to move by Wednesday, said Herring, but there 
are other issues that will delay the move by a few more days. “There 
are a couple of permits, and the phone lines need to be lowered. Embarq 
is donating the significant expense of dropping those wires, but they 
have to bring in some special supplies to do it, and those had to be 
ordered,” said Herring.

The house is being moved to make way for the Ohio 37/161 widening 
project of the Ohio Department of Transportation. Land for a new site has 
been donated on the west edge of the village of Alexandria, and much of 
the construction of a basement and other infrastructure in the new 
location has been offered in-kind as well.

“In addition to notice of the Embarq donation, Thursday we received 
another large anonymous donation,” said Herring, referring in part to 
a $10,000 anonymous donation received in March. “It was a $5000 bank 
check from California, no indication whether this was an Alexandrian 
away from home, or someone who had for instance just seen our project on 
the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s online magazine and 
wanted to help.” Donations are still needed for the relocation, 
including about $7,000 in expenses associated with the house-moving.

The Dingey Movers crew has completely removed the basement from 
underneath the house and it is now supported on steel beams and wheels. Some 
adjustments of the support are necessary, but the house has already been 
turned on the lot so it can roll out onto SR 37 when the time comes. 
The structure will be moved to its new location mainly cross-country and 
over Raccoon Creek to the area of the former Brookside Dairy barns. 
Several of the barns will be removed to make room for the house.

The home was built circa 1870 for Joseph M. Scott, an outspoken 
abolitionist and locally prominent farmer and historian who earned his 
captainship in the Civil War. A classic example of the Victorian Italianate 
architectural style, the home was built on a grand scale and includes an 
original spiral staircase and stone fireplaces. The fireplace surrounds 
were recently removed to storage, after thieves attempted to dismantle 
and steal them. Current plans for the home when relocated are that it 
would be used as a public museum and community center after its 
restoration.

The Ohio Department of Transportation gave the house to the Village of 
Alexandria during the eminent domain procedure for the property, at 
request of the Village. The Village did not have funds for a historic 
preservation project, and has transferred the house to the Alexandria 
Community Council, which has raised the funds and in-kind donations for the 
project.. The Alexandria Community Council is a nonprofit group active 
for over 75 years in support of community events and projects in the 
village and St. Albans township.

The $7,000 needed to complete the relocation phase of the project must 
be raised in the next month, and the second, restoration, phase will 
begin when the house is stabilized in the new location. Send your 
tax-deductible donations to the Alexandria Community Council, Friends of 
Captain Scott Committee, P.O. Box 234, Alexandria OH 43001, or contact Donna 
Herring, Secretary of the Alexandria Community Council (740-924-0516), 
email CaptainScott@AlexandriaOH.org. 

For further information see the website www.CaptainScottHouse.org.

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