Downtown Burlington, Kentucky looks different this weekend. The buildings which have housed Farm Bureau Insurance on the south side of Route 18 since at least 1951 was demolished on Wednesday.
Before . . .
The space will be converted to a military memorial, green space, parking and create an area for the community to gather for events.
Mike Crane started his career at Farm Bureau Insurance in 1975 as an agent, after Agency Manager Bill Maddox hired him while collecting tickets at the front gate of the Boone County Fair. Bill passed away in 1979 from cancer and Mike was named Agency Manager.
“We believe the building was built around the turn of the century and at various points was a store, tannery or small boarding house,” said Crane. As the agency grew, they eventually purchased the 1½ story Weaver House which was next door. It was rumored the Weaver House was haunted and had previous lives of a needlework shop and barbershop.”
One of Mike’s fondest memories of the Weaver House was “watching his young daughter sliding down the stairs because they were wide and long which was very unusual in those days.”
To become green space
In 2017, Crane’s Farm Bureau Insurance Agency moved east on 18 to what is known as the McBee House so the buildings in downtown Burlington could be demolished.
Boone County Farm Bureau, Inc. purchased the McBee House from the Fiscal Court and Mike continues as their tenant in the new location at 2342 Burlington Pike, next door to the YMCA.
Crane’s Kentucky Farm Bureau Insurance Agency serves Boone County and particularly the northern and western areas of Boone County, including the towns of Burlington, Hebron, Petersburg and surrounding areas.
For more information, please visit the website or call Mike at (859) 586-6142.
