A new push is underway to further preserve and honor one of the most historic sites in southcentral Kentucky.

While Reservoir Hill (also commonly called Hospital Hill) is generally known as a snow sledding spot and home to the old city hospital, the hill was once the site of a Civil War fort with ties to a future American president.

Now, several local groups are pushing to further preserve and celebrate the site in conjunction with the land’s owner, the city of Bowling Green.

“It is the right thing to do,” said Nick Rabold, president of the Bowling Green-Warren County Landmark Association. “Many thousands of Americans sacrificed their lives to save the Union, with thousands of them stationed at that fort. Those people matter now just as they did then, regardless of rank, and preserving the fort is the best way to protect their legacy.”

Rabold calls Fort C. F. Smith “the most historically significant Civil War site remaining in southcentral Kentucky.”

While the fort is on the National Register of Historic Places and a plaque there gives some of its history, the full importance of the site is largely forgotten.

Construction of the fort atop the centrally located hill began in 1861 under Confederate Brigadier Gen. Simon Bolivar Buckner, who occupied the city with some 4,500 Confederate troops after the Confederate government designated Bowling Green its state capital.

The Confederate forces retreated from Bowling Green before the fort was completed. The Union Army then occupied Bowling Green for the duration of the war and completed the fort partially under the direction of a future president – Col. Benjamin Harrison.

The fort was named for Charles Ferguson Smith, who served as a distinguished officer in the U.S. Army during the Mexican–American War and Civil War before dying in 1862 from dysentery.

Only about 10% of the fort, which once stretched down the hill to encompass parts of the surrounding residential areas, remains intact, with more regularly being lost to erosion and even vandalism, Rabold said.

To protect what remains of the fort, the Landmark Association has joined with Operation PRIDE, which is hosting a tree giveaway and tree planting Thursday at 9 a.m. Thirty trees will be planted on the hill and Operation PRIDE will give away 50 trees.

The nonprofit has been on a tree-planting binge after 2021 tornadoes destroyed a significant number of the city’s trees.

The hill has also seen a large loss of trees over the years, so the site “is an area where we can make a difference,” while helping preserve a historic site, said Operation Pride Executive Director Melanie Lawrence.

Rabold said the groups are recommending several steps for the site:

•protect the remains of the fort with a period-correct cedar split-rail fence surrounding the earthworks in their entirety to prevent vehicles of various types from driving on top of the earthworks;

•educate the public through appropriate historical signs and markers;

•rename “Reservoir Hill Park” to “President Benjamin Harrison Park” or “Old Fort C. F. Smith Park” to ensure more routine recognition of the historical significance of the site;

•establish a comprehensive landscape plan to complement the protection of the fort, including removal of invasive species along Parkway Street and planting of period-appropriate trees to shade the lawns and visitors.

“We must preserve our historic sites,” Rabold said. “The Union was saved at least in part at Fort C. F. Smith … We should educate our community and we want people to cherish it.”

—The tree giveaway, sponsored by State Farm, starts at 9 a.m. on a first-come, first-served basis. Attendees will be given a 5-foot tree and bag of mulch while supplies last.