A resource management plan, biological and archaeological inventory are the only things currently holding the Hawthorne Crossing Conservation Area back from being opened to the public. This is where NKU will come into play.

On March 30 Dr. Douglas Hume, assistant professor of Anthropology, along with a contingent of students from the Applied Anthropology class and an independent study class took part in a public meeting at the Licking Valley Baptist Church to explain how they will be helping out with the project. On April 6 and 9 at 6 p.m. at the Licking Valley Baptist Church, Hume and 20 students will be recording oral histories of anyone who would like to contribute to assist in the archaeological inventory for the conservation area.

‘We want this to be a long term conversation on conservation,’ said Mary Kathryn Dickerson, district coordinator of the Campbell County Conservation District.

The conservation area consists of two tracts of land totaling 140 acres and was acquired in 2008 by the Campbell County Conservation District. It is currently closed to the public until the inventories and plan are completed. When the area is finally opened, the planned uses for the area will include: bird watching, hiking, nature study, photography and in the future a plan for a canoe and kayak launch.

The Licking Valley Baptist Church was filled with locals interested in helping to preserve the oral history of the area. With the semester winding down, Hume plans to have the student contribution continue in the form of an independent study in the fall though no specifics have been made yet.

‘I think we all need to express gratitude for the work that has been put into this project,’ said Steve Pendery, judge executive for the Campbell County Fiscal Court.

The Hawthorne area was a community that dates back into the 1880’s. The origin of its name is still unknown. An inn located south of the property, known as the Ten Mile House, acted as a resting point for farmers on their way into Newport to sell their goods. Tollgate Road takes its name from a tollgate that was located within the community. The 1930 census listed the Hawthorne population at 26.