12/22/2003
James Kinney Farmstead summer kitchen and main house pre-mining preparations including temporary water supply installation, trenching, corner bracing, cable and pressure gauge installation.

Diary Entry:

I sent a letter to ODNR Chief Sponsler today concerning his signing off on a mitigation report that does not include all of the features of the James Kinney Farmstead, especially the very old (possibly 1795) dug well at the barn, the dug well (circa 1863) at the Kinney house and the cistern (circa 1863). There is no plan to protect or prevent material major damage to these hand made structures as they are specifically listed on the National Register of Historic Places. By receiving this letter before mining he has time to have OVCC get a plan together to prevent damage and to allow the permit to mine coal here under the stated plan by ODNR. I suppose it would be a violation of the permit to mine with out addressing this. At 7:30 AM the Hughes men started their noisy electric generator. They continue to place the long corner posts up on the house. Mellott Plumbing's crew accidently cut into my water line which was under pressure from my pump at the dug well at the barn. It flooded the trench before they could get to the barn to shut it off. They got their line "teed" into it so my water is now coming from the "water buffalo" water tank that graces the once elegant front yard.
10:30AM I got a call from a Mrs. Hoard in Columbus that she had seen the Columbus Dispatch article about the James Kinney Farm house that will sink 3 or 4 feet due to longwall mining. She faxed a copy to me, It looked OK. This was an article done by Randy Ludlow last week. This was in the Metro Section of the Dispatch. Mrs. Hoard was very concerned about the situation and was going to send me information about some restoration work she does in Columbus in case I need help in that regard. Kurt came to work at the barn, he had a helper from the office, (Tony?) Ron and I were surprised to see a stranger in my front yard, measuring my house, he said. He was a surveyor hired by the coal company. Ron and I had just come back from town to send a message to Governor Taft about the plight of this historic property. Water was delivered to the tank by Deans Water Service. The new pump worked OK for awhile but quit. Mellotts got it going at 5:30 PM today. They will pull my pump and pipes out of my well tomorrow and store it. I had a message on my business phone recorder that the Ohio Farm Bureau chief lawyer is interested in this case and will be calling me for details. He is interested in putting this case on the next Ohio Farm Bureau cabinet meeting agenda.

Floyd Simpson