Group May Try to Sell Kentucky Mansion Tied to Lincoln

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) – A nonprofit entrusted to turn a Lexington-area mansion tied to Abraham Lincoln into a museum is considering selling it.

According to the Lexington Herald-Leader (http://bit.ly/2kCxGqj ), the Kentucky Mansions Preservation Foundation filed a Fayette Circuit Court petition to consider alternatives for Helm Place.

Emilie Todd Helm, half-sister of first lady Mary Todd Lincoln, lived at the two-story, 15-room house. Helm was the last ancestor of the Todd family, President Lincoln’s in-laws.

Mary Genevieve Townsend Murphy left Helm Place to the foundation after she died in 2000 and her husband died in 2011. The trust called for a public museum.

The petition says a museum is no longer economically feasible.

Foundation Executive Director Gwen Thompson says alternatives include an education center or visitors center for tourists at Central Kentucky horse farms.

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Information from: Lexington Herald-Leader, http://www.kentucky.com

Copyright 2017 The Associated Press.