A local group working on the restoration of a historic property in Houston recently received a big boost with the approval of its not-for-profit status by the IRS.
The designation for the Lynch-Tweed Civil War Home Preservation Society means that contributions can be deductible on federal tax returns, and it will be able to seek grants for the project.
The home on Airport Road is believed to be the oldest standing structure in Houston. It served for many years as the county court. Meals were cooked and many peoples’ stays extended to overnight. A nearby spring — still in existence — furnished water for the house and for the tannery that David Lynch operated for many years.
During the early part of the Civil War, bushwhackers attempted to steal some of Lynch’s hides, so he buried them and his tools and fled with his family to Macon County in north-central Missouri in the fall of 1862.
During the family’s absence, bushwhackers tried to burn the brick house, but it burned itself out. The Lynchs and Tweeds left the burn marks as a landmark.
In spring 1866, Lynch returned with his family and lived there until 1906, when he died at age 87.