LHA meets funding goal for down payment on property for Matt King House

The Lincoln Heritage Alliance is moving forward with plans to purchase property along Highway 200 in Lincoln following a donation that has provided the organization with enough money for a down payment on the land.

The property, located across the highway from the Methodist Church, would serve first and foremost as the site for the historic Matt King ranch house.

In July, Steve and Ginger Stocks donated several thousand dollars to the LHA after learning efforts to raise money for the down payment had stalled, leaving the future of the building - believed to be the oldest ranch house in the valley - in question.

The distinctive log home, built using hand-hewn Ponderosa pine logs up to 30-inches wide, was disassembled and tagged, and it has been stacked behind the Blackfoot Valley Dispatch ffice since 2015, pending the acquisition of property. Although efforts have been made to protect the disassembled building, there is concern that having the building's logs remain stacked for an extended period will take a toll on their integrity.

The LHA is currently waiting on the purchase contract from the property owner, but having the money for the down payment brings a degree of certainty to the project, which was left somewhat adrift in 2017 after a commitment by a different property owner to donate land in the center of Lincoln for the project fell through.

The LHA formed in 2015 to buy the building, with the vision of seeing the iconic hand-hewn log home re-assembled in downtown Lincoln to serve as a historic centerpiece for the community.

"It's been a long road. It feels like it's getting closer," said LHA chairperson Erin Dey. "I believe it's going to be a great asset to the economy of Lincoln."

Once the transaction is complete, efforts will get underway to clear the property and rebuild the King house .

In general, the effort to resurrect the building in downtown Lincoln has been met with local support, due to its potential to boost the economy by giving visitors and travelers another reason to stop and explore downtown, while also highlighting and preserving Lincoln history.

Lincoln's downtown is currently home to just two historic buildings dating to the early 20th century: the Lincoln Community Hall, finished in 1918, and the historic Lincoln Hotel, built by Len Lambkin in 1929 to replace the original one-story structure. Several cabins and other structures dating to that same era can still be found in and around Lincoln.

Dey hopes the progress being made toward securing a permanent home for the Matt King will prompt a renewed interest in supporting the project, particularly among community members who wanted to donate earlier but were waiting to see the project find a permanent home.

"Having the down payment is a huge first step, but it's just the first step," Dey said.

"We've got to continue to raise money to cover monthly property payments. We also have the cost of taking down the existing building and cleaning up the property, and then the cost of reassembling and maintaining the Matt King House. So, we'll still need to keep our fundraising rolling."

With a pretty definite site for the building, she said they cans also get serious about applying for grants.

The organization is raffling off an original artwork by local artist Mike Brown as their latest fundraiser.

One recent fundraising effort was abandoned, however. Dey had been collecting nearly new shoes as part of a drive to gather 25,000 pairs, which would have earned the LHA $10,000. Despite gathering some 500 pairs of shoes locally, plans to find collection points in surrounding communities never panned out and Dey has instead opted to raise what funds she can by selling the shoes locally at $5 a pair. Passersby, visitors and locals had purchased 140 pair between Sunday and Tuesday afternoon, netting the LHA $700.

In October 2016, the UBVHS agreed to act as the fiscal sponsor for the LHA, with an eye toward creating a consolidated, permanent home for both the Matt King house and the historic UBVHS buildings in the heart of Lincoln. Though the two organizations remain separate entities, donations made to the LHA are tax-deductible under the umbrella of the UBVHS, which holds any donations made for the LHA in a separate account.

With just six years remaining on the lease for its existing interpretive center site behind the Hi Country Trading Post, the UBVHS plans to relocate at least some of its historic buildings to the property as well, but is also exploring potential benefits of developing a cultural site on Forest Service property across from the Lincoln Ranger Station. Such a project could open the door to addition funding and interpretive opportunities for the Historical Society.

The LHA has worked for the last three years to raise the funds to purchase both the King house and land on which to rebuild it. Today, the LHA owns the building thanks to a series of fundraisers and the infusion of funding from a portion of the $100,000 economic development grant awarded to Lincoln by the LOR Foundation in 2017.

The LHA received a 2017 Historic Preservation Award from the Lewis and Clark County Heritage Preservation and Tourism Development Council in recognition of the effort to save the Matt King house.

For more information on the project contact Erin Dey at 406-362-4131 or Julie Zarske at 406-362-4109.