FELIX GRUNDY STIDGER CABIN RESTORATION GROUNDBREAKING HELD IN TAYLORSVILLE

FELIX GRUNDY STIDGER CABIN RESTORATION GROUNDBREAKING HELD IN TAYLORSVILLE

FRANKFORT, Ky. (October 6, 2025) — Sen. Jimmy Higdon, R-Lebanon, joined community members on Friday to celebrate the groundbreaking for the restoration of the Felix Grundy Stidger Cabin, a log home built in the 1830s and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The cabin, once home to Union spy Felix Grundy Stidger, is being rebuilt after being dismantled for preservation. Stidger’s work during the Civil War helped uncover and stop a secret plot to free and arm prisoners in Louisville and Indianapolis.

“This is part of Kentucky’s story and part of America’s story,” Higdon said. “Because of men like Felix Grundy Stidger, who risked their lives in the Civil War, cities like Louisville and Indianapolis were spared from attack. That’s a chapter of history worth remembering, and this cabin will help us tell it.”

Higdon commended local preservationist Arnie Mueller, who founded the Felix Grundy Stidger Preservation Foundation and spearheaded efforts to save the home.

“Arnie lived by the words, ‘Remember the future by restoring the past,’” Higdon said. “There’s a saying that it wasn’t the force of the water that carved the Grand Canyon, but its persistence. That’s Arnie. He didn’t quit when this project looked tough. He kept at it year after year, and because of his persistence, this cabin is being restored. Spencer County and the commonwealth will never forget his role in making this possible.”

Mueller and his wife, Patty, recently retired, but their contributions will continue to be felt for generations. The cabin restoration will serve as an educational and community site, offering visitors the chance to learn about Kentucky’s Civil War history and experience a preserved piece of Taylorsville’s heritage.

The groundbreaking took place on Friday, October 3 at the cabin site at 102 Garrard Street in Taylorsville. Find more information on the Felix Grundy Stidger Cabin at https://visittaylorsville.com/stidgercabin/

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Sen. Jimmy Higdon, R-Lebanon, represents the 14th Senate District, including LaRue, Marion, Nelson, Spencer, and Washington Counties. He serves as co-chair of the Interim Joint Committee on Transportation and the Public Pension Oversight Board. He also serves on the Interim Joint Committees on Education; Licensing, Occupations, and Administrative Regulations; Veterans, Military Affairs, and Public Protection; and the Budget Review Subcommittee on Transportation. He is a member of the Kentucky Housing Task Force.