BURLINGTON - A community came together yesterday afternoon to witness 10 years of hard work and cherished dreams inch closer to reality.

A ceremony dedicating the Old Lawrence County Jail at Burlington as the county's official bicentennial year project took place on the recently cleared lawn in front of the old stone structure.

"It's a miracle," Harriet Ramsey said as she looked at the sign.

Ramsey, who is both president of the Concerned Citizens of Burlington and a member of the jail restoration committee, said restoring the jail for use as an Underground Railroad museum is something she wanted so badly but feared was just out of reach.

"It's been a dream of mine for many years, but I didn't think we would ever acquire it in my lifetime," she said. "A lot of people deserve the credit for a lot of hard work to make this happen."

Ramsey's dream - a dream shared by many others in Burlington - took a giant leap forward last year when jail property owner Juan Lawson agreed to sell the aging structure to the county.

Since then, grant money has been secured to buy the property and an adjoining lot next to it. Grant monies will also help pay for renovations. The proceeds from the sale of replica Lawrence County bells during the bicentennial year will go toward the jail restoration as well.

Ramsey said the next step is to get a new roof on the jail to prevent further damage to it. After that, the committee will seek the advice of historical architects on how to create a showpiece out of the long-neglected treasure.

"My dream is to have a museum where children can come and learn about the history of this area," Ramsey said. "I want them to be more knowledgeable of it."

The old stone jail was built before the Civil War, when Burlington was still the county seat. When the county government was moved to Ironton in 1851, the old buildings at Burlington fell into private hands, changing ownership many times over the next century and a half. The old jail is the only one of the county's original government buildings left standing.

Fayette Township Trustee Perry Brock said he was pleased to see an effort made to restore the old jail.

"It is good to have something like this here in Fayette Township, something we can preserve for future generations and for the community," Brock said.

Burlington area residents lined the old jail lawn yesterday, and spoke of the pride they have in knowing this piece of history will someday come alive again. The Rev. Douglas C. Carter, pastor of First Baptist Church of Burlington, his wife Barbara and daughter Kyra attended the ceremony. Barbara Carter said an appreciation of history is essential for success in the future.

"If you want to focus on where you're going, you need to know where you've come from," Carter said. "The past should never be forgotten, good, bad or indifferent."