Kentucky

‘She will be back.’ Goose head falls off beloved Eastern Kentucky bed and breakfast

The goose head on the Mother Goose Inn fell Wednesday, March 24, 2021. The attraction had been damaged by recent storms and fell Wednesday after strong winds.
The goose head on the Mother Goose Inn fell Wednesday, March 24, 2021. The attraction had been damaged by recent storms and fell Wednesday after strong winds. Photo via the City of Hazard on Twitter

The goose head perched atop the Mother Goose Inn for about 80 years — an Eastern Kentucky attraction — fell off the top of the building and suffered heavy damage Wednesday.

The goose head attached to the roof of the bed and breakfast in Hazard was old and had suffered added stress in recent months from ice storms and flooding, according to city officials. It was already damaged before it fell Wednesday afternoon, according to a GoFundMe that had been previously organized to raise money for its repairs.

The head had previously moved off the foundation despite several attempts to stabilize it, according to Becki Francis, the organizer of the GoFundMe who said the inn was in her family. The head and neck had several large holes and were leaking, causing further damage to the structure, Francis said.

Strong winds on Wednesday were enough to force the head to fall, Francis said.

The Mother Goose Inn in Hazard, Ky., photographed on Tuesday, June 2, 2020.
The Mother Goose Inn in Hazard, Ky., photographed on Tuesday, June 2, 2020. Ryan C. Hermens rhermens@herald-leader.com

“Even though she has fallen we will get her put back together,” Francis said in a post on the GoFundMe page. “She is still a part of history and we will work hard to get her fixed and hopefully better than ever.”

City officials in Hazard tweeted “she will be back” on Wednesday but added that the public’s help would be needed.

The Mother Goose house has been around since 1940, according to Francis. It’s been featured on HGTV and other television networks and has been “seen by people all over the world,” Francis said.

This story was originally published March 25, 2021 at 10:36 AM.

Jeremy Chisenhall
Lexington Herald-Leader
Jeremy Chisenhall covers criminal justice and breaking news for the Lexington Herald-Leader and Kentucky.com. He joined the paper in 2020, and is originally from Erlanger, Ky.
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