One more connection with the history of our town up in smoke. Whether an act of nature, an intentional fire, or a careless act of someone being where they should not have been, the loss of the Hurt-Foust House is a significant loss for our community. With the fire went an opportunity for our citizens, both young and old, to connect with the rather remarkable past of our small town.

Settled in part by revolutionary war soldiers, site of civil war skirmishes, home to hero's who fought in Two world wars, in Korea, Vietnam and the middle east, birthplace of state and national leaders throughout its history, and birthplace and long-time home of Mark Twain' mother (and the model for Tom Sawyer's Aunt Polly)--these are but examples of our proud history.

We should be thankful for the efforts of our local historians, including Mike Watson, for reminding us of that proud heritage. We should work diligently to instill in our young citizens the significance of their hometown, and a desire to protect that heritage. Burning down historic buildings is not in the best interest of any of us. We can spend our time and resources to find out just what caused that fire, and we should. But nothing will bring back the Hurt-Foust home. After more than 150 years, it is gone.