The earthy smell of lumber filled the nostrils of residents on Millersburg’s Main Street while the pounding of hammers and buzzing of saws echoed throughout the town in 1950. The sounds announced to neighbors near and far that a new young family of three had moved to town – Ross, Julia, and their five-year-old son Tommy Fleming.
While the family was new to the area, building a 26-foot x 24-foot home in Millersburg was a homecoming for Mrs. Julia Fleming, who was born and raised on a small cattle farm just outside of Millersburg on Steel Ford Road.
During World War II, Julia left Millersburg, moving to Washington D.C. to take a clerical job. While in D.C., she met a young man, Ross Fleming, who worked at the Pentagon and their whirlwind romance blossomed into marriage in 1943. Soon afterward, Ross received a draft notice, and for the next several years, the young couple migrated from Washington D.C. to Carmel, California to Fort Bliss in Texas. While in the Lone Star State, the couple welcomed their son Tommy to the world in 1945. After Ross completed his service, the young couple made their way back to Julia’s old Kentucky home – Millersburg.
Millersburg welcomed the Flemings with all the warmth and charm of an American small town. Young Tommy, who now goes by Ross, started school at Millersburg Military Institute (MMI), where his mom worked as a secretary for Colonel Blankenship. Tommy/Ross marched in dress uniform at MMI’s Sunday afternoon parades, biked around the town with the neighborhood kids, and made dynamite wire bracelets found during the blasting and reconstruction of Main Street. Millersburg was the perfect place to grow up.
As the Fleming’s lives expanded so did their home. Over time they built additions around the 903 Main Street house, expanding it and adding a car port.
Tommy/Ross graduated from MMI in 1963, when the graduating class was around 45 students. He’d go on to become a helicopter pilot, marry, and after the passing of his parents returned to Millersburg in 2014 to live at 903 Main Street with his wife while they built a house in Nicholasville. Soon afterward Tommy/Ross learned about Community Ventures’ revitalization work in Millersburg and sold the home to the nonprofit.
“Millersburg is small town America, and it was a great place to grow up; there were lots of kids in town and we played pick-up games of baseball regularly,” said Tommy/Ross Fleming. “It is great to see the revitalization efforts. This work is breathing new life into the town and it’s exciting to see.”
And Tommy/Ross Fleming isn’t the only Kentuckian excited to see Millersburg return to it’s former glory. During a Blue Grass Trust tour of Community Ventures’ historic preservation of MMI, now Mustard Seed Hill, Nicholasville resident and retired nurse Mrs. Lanser fell in love with the restoration of Millersburg and approached Community Ventures President and CEO Kevin Smith to see how she could be a part of this amazing workTogether, Smith and Lanser crafted a plan to restore the Fleming home
“Millersburg is a lovely little town, and the work that Community Ventures has done there is phenomenal; it is bringing the city back to life,” said donor Mrs. Lanser. “I was thrilled to name the cottage after my 13-year-old granddaughter, Helena. The cottage has turned out so well; it exceeded my expectations.”
Together Community Ventures and donor Mrs. Mary Lanser gave new life to this historic treasure as a honeymoon cottage for brides and grooms and named the cottage after Mrs. Lanser’s granddaughter Helena. The name also honors Tommy/Ross’ grandmother Helen.
“The community of Millersburg holds many historic treasures, and the Fleming home is one of those gems,” said Kevin Smith, President and CEO of Community Ventures. “We are so grateful to Mrs. Mary Lanser for investing in the restoration of the city of Millersburg by funding this project.”
The restoration of Helena’s Cottage is the latest restoration of historic properties in Millersburg. Restoration work, supported by the Jan Wagoner Fund, continues on several other historic properties in the city.
To view a video of the restoration of Helena’s Cottage, click here.
To learn more about Community Ventures’ revitalization work visit, www.cvky.org.
