DAR chapter honors historic preservation efforts at Riverview
Published 6:00 am Monday, March 10, 2025
Janet Cobb (right) of the Samuel Davies Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution presents Friends of Riverview President Tia Tabor (left) with the Excellence in Historic Preservation Medal for the Friends’ efforts in raising funds and promoting the area's only historic home museum and a showplace for the history of the City of Bowling Green at Riverview at Hobson Grove on Saturday morning, March 8, 2025. GRACE MCDOWELL / DAILY NEWS
Janet Cobb of the Samuel Davies Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution speaks at a ceremony to award members of the Friends of Riverview with the Excellence in Historic Preservation Medal for their efforts in raising funds and promoting the area's only historic home museum and a showplace for the history of the City of Bowling Green at Riverview at Hobson Grove on Saturday morning, March 8, 2025. GRACE MCDOWELL / DAILY NEWS
Members of the Samuel Davies Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution present the Friends of Riverview President with the Excellence in Historic Preservation Medal for the Friends’ efforts in raising funds and promoting the area's only historic home museum and a showplace for the history of the City of Bowling Green at Riverview at Hobson Grove on Saturday morning, March 8, 2025. GRACE MCDOWELL / DAILY NEWS
Friends of Riverview President Tia Tabor speaks after being presented the Excellence in Historic Preservation Medal by the Samuel Davies Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution for their efforts in raising funds and promoting the area's only historic home museum and a showplace for the history of the City of Bowling Green at Riverview at Hobson Grove on Saturday morning, March 8, 2025. GRACE MCDOWELL / DAILY NEWS
Paula Cockrel Jarboe of the Samuel Davies Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution speaks at a ceremony to award members of the Friends of Riverview with the Excellence in Historic Preservation Medal for their efforts in raising funds and promoting the area's only historic home museum and a showplace for the history of the City of Bowling Green at Riverview at Hobson Grove on Saturday morning, March 8, 2025. GRACE MCDOWELL / DAILY NEWS
Janet Cobb (right) of the Samuel Davies Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution presents Friends of Riverview President Tia Tabor (left) with the Excellence in Historic Preservation Medal for the Friends’ efforts in raising funds and promoting the area's only historic home museum and a showplace for the history of the City of Bowling Green at Riverview at Hobson Grove on Saturday morning, March 8, 2025. GRACE MCDOWELL / DAILY NEWS
Members of the Samuel Davies Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution gathered at Riverview at Hobson Grove on Saturday morning, March 8, 2025, to present the Friends of Riverview President with the Excellence in Historic Preservation Medal for the Friends’ efforts in raising funds and promoting the area's only historic home museum and a showplace for the history of the City of Bowling Green. GRACE MCDOWELL / DAILY NEWS
Riverview at Hobson Grove opened its doors Saturday to some guests who were eager to give rave reviews over recent restoration efforts undertaken at the historic home.
The Samuel Davies Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution presented an Excellence in Historic Preservation Medal to the Friends of Riverview, a group of volunteers that raises funds and promotes Riverview at Hobson Grove, a stately Victorian mansion that now functions as a museum.
The medal awarded by the local DAR chapter is meant to recognize the outstanding work of individuals and organizations that promote historic preservation.
Previous honorees have been St. Joseph Catholic Church and the Friends of Lost River, and Friends of Riverview was recognized Saturday for the hands-on work that has gone into preserving the house as a time capsule and showpiece for the community.
“When you come out here for a candlelight tour in the fall and see the house all decorated up, that’s the Friends in the background doing the decoration,” said Janet Cobb, chair of historic preservation for the DAR chapter. “When you come out here to see the plantings in the spring and summer, the Friends are out there digging in the dirt.”
Construction began on the house in 1857 by Atwood G. Hobson and was completed in 1872.
The Hobsons called Riverview home until 1950.
A series of tenants subsequently lived in the home, but a major fire hastened a period of decline until the city bought the property at auction for $1.
The home was restored in 1972 and opened as a museum.
“Today, Riverview really serves as a window into this city’s past and as a showcase for historical education,” said Tia Tabor, president of the Friends of Riverview board. “Maintaining this house is truly a labor of love and very much a team sport.”
In 2022, restoration artist Kristina Lemmon completed the work of restoring the deteriorating ceiling in the front and back parlor of the home and the walls in the front parlor, work that revealed previously painted-over ornate designs on the ceilings.
“This is really a love letter to Bowling Green,” said Cobb, who is also a docent at the museum. “If you owned this Victorian house, you were all about making it showy.”
Brooke Peterson, executive director at Riverview, said she was grateful for the enthusiasm with which the Friends of Riverview approach their work promoting the museum and preserving its historic character.
“I have an excellent group of volunteers and employees, and I’ve actually been learning a lot from them,” Peterson said. “They’re so invested in their research and reading and this is just a great place to be surrounded by such lovely people.”
