A historical marker recognizing Thomas Henry Hines, a former Confederate soldier and judge, was moved Feb. 26 deeper into Fairview Cemetery based on a safety recommendation from Kentucky Transportation Cabinet District 3 Chief District Engineer Joe Plunk.

When asked why the marker was moved now after more than 50 years in its original location, Plunk said it was mostly because of how unnoticeable it was as it sat in its former location next to Fairview Avenue.

“I was out driving around one day and noticed how close it was to the road,” Plunk told the Daily News. “That’s what initiates these things. We just notice these things over time. It is not unusual for us to do something like this for safety reasons. That’s a 200-pound piece of metal that could do a lot of damage if it was hit by someone.”

Plunk said two other historical markers at Warren County’s Basil Griffin Park and in Logan County were recently moved.

Hines, a Butler County native who was a captain in the Confederate army, was part of a daring escape from a Union prison in Ohio in 1863 and opened a law practice in Bowling Green after the war. He also served as a judge on the Kentucky Court of Appeals.

The move at Fairview Cemetery comes amid a spate of Confederate markers and statues being removed nationally.

“I couldn’t tell anyone what the content of each has,” Plunk said regarding the signs recently moved locally. “I was not aware of the content of the Hines marker at the time of the move.”

KYTC District 3 Public Information Officer Wes Watt said the marker had been overlooked by the cabinet because of its close proximity to the road.

Under the guidance of Fairview Cemetery officials, state workers moved the marker from near the entrance of the cemetery to a spot adjacent to a road near the front of the cemetery.

According to emails given to the Daily News by the KYTC, Plunk first contacted other KYTC officials Aug. 19 concerning the marker.

“I noticed this historic marker at Fairview Cemetery today. … It is just a few feet behind the curb. Since you were very helpful in moving the hazard at Basil Griffin Park earlier this year, I am hopeful you can work to do the same here. Admittedly, the trees are as much of a hazard as the marker, so efforts toward relocation are not a high priority,” Plunk wrote.

Warren County Parks and Recreation Director Chris Kummer said the department and state have worked to move markers in Warren County parks back from roads and closer to entrances.

“The marker at Basil Griffin Park was in the state highway right of way, and it was fairly close to the parking area at the front of the facility,” Kummer said of a marker referencing pioneer merchant Jacob Skiles. “The state did all of the moving of the marker, and we coordinated with them on where we wanted it moved to. We worked with the state to make sure the markers are still visible.”

Fairview Cemetery Division Manager Cathy Maroney said the Hines marker was placed in its new spot – which faces the interior cemetery road as opposed to drivers or walkers entering the cemetery – so that anyone entering the cemetery can stop and read it without having to get out of their vehicles.

“When people come in, they can proceed to the marker that is just beyond the entrance,” Maroney said. “It’s off to the side where traffic won’t block the entrance in case someone wanted to stop and read it. When you drive up to it, you can easily read it and proceed on out of the cemetery. Safety-wise, it’s in a much better spot where traffic isn’t an issue.”

Maroney said the marker is now in a grassy area where people can also get out of their car to walk up to it and more easily read it.

“It now looks more uniform with the tree line,” Maroney said. “Aesthetically, it fits in better this way. Also, both sides of the marker have the same reading, and one side is more worn out than the other. The more worn side is facing away from the road. We are looking into research on how to clean the sign.”

Maroney said the sign wasn’t as noticeable previously and officials hope the new angle will make it more visible to the public.

“You can’t miss it once you enter the cemetery,” Maroney said. “If people tell us that they are having trouble reading it or finding it, we will call the state and have them reangle it.”

The move comes after a historical roadside marker on Western Kentucky University’s campus noting Bowling Green was the former Confederate state capital was removed. Watt confirmed that the former marker was still in KYTC’s storage facility with no immediate plans to reinstall it.

– Follow reporter John Reecer on Twitter @JReecerBGDN or visit bgdailynews.com.