Eagle Scout Project Inspires Marker Restoration

Boy Scout Deacon Jones, a junior at McCracken County High School, is putting final touches on his submission for Eagle Scout. Deacon, member of Lone Oak Scout Troop 2200, has totally restored two McCracken County Historical Markers. He started the restorations late summer 2019 and enlisted help from fellow scouts and family members. He followed the strict guidelines to refurbish the markers. The Chief Paduke and Paducah Pictorial markers are two of over 80 official Kentucky Historical Society markers in McCracken County. He finished painting the projects late last fall and the Kentucky Department of Transportation installed the markers to their original locations on Jefferson and on Broadway.

Since then he has also organized cleaning a dozen markers, painting poles, updating an inventory of those most in need of repair and on Wednesday he mailed letters to local churches and temple who have markers on their properties. The letter shares information for guidelines and contacts if their markers are in need of repair.

When asked why he chose this as his Eagle project, Deacon said, “This is my hometown and I wanted to inspire others to learn more about our history and make our community an even better place to live. We all need to be involved.”

McCracken County Historical Marker Coordinator Ro Morse said, "Deacon is such a hard working young man. His enthusiasm and determination to complete this project have been inspiring. It's encouraging to see his generation interested enough in local history to maintain the integrity of these historical markers. He involved other scouts to help with the project and organized times to clean additional markers. It's been a privilege to work with him." 

Deacon has been actively involved in Scouting for ten years. He is the son of Eric and Heather Jones.