Pickett County officials celebrated the restoration of historic Amonett Place with a ribbon cutting ceremony at the Byrdstown Welcome Center this week.
Byrdstown Mayor Sam Gibson said the oldest house in the county dates back to approximately 1830 and was donated to the county by Arminda Amonett. Gibson said the restoration project took nearly five years to complete and cost approximately $50,000.
“The big logs that the house was built from were probably more than likely growing on that property before the Declaration of Independence was signed,” Gibson said. “And we know that’s 250 years ago, so that’s a lot of history itself right there.”
Gibson said workers completely dismantled the house and labeled every log to ensure the structure was safe before rebuilding it in its original form. Gibson said the team used donated logs to replace any damaged or rotten materials found during the process.
“We tried to put it all completely back with its original shape and form and everything, with even a loft in the house, the fireplace as much back as it originally was as we could,” Gibson said. “We added a little porch on the front and the back, because we expect to have a lot of visitors there in the next few years.”
Gibson said the house now features a metal roof and is handicap accessible for future tourists.
“It’s not a big house, but it’s a lot of history with it,” Gibson said. “So I think it’ll be wonderful for the county.”
Gibson said the home had been covered in weatherboarding for years before the city decided to return the building to its original log appearance. Gibson said the site also serves as a memorial honoring veterans with a monument containing nearly 900 names.
“We’ll try to add things inside as we go along that’s going to be related to the era of the house, when people were growing up there,” Gibson said. “So it’s got a lot of history, got a lot of, I think it’ll be something good that tourists will enjoy walking through.”
The facility will open for public tours once security cameras and climate control systems are installed to protect donated artifacts.
