O’Bannon Historic House dedication and Open House

MCUF was happy to assist in the Open House and formal Dedication of the Bannon House in Russellville, KY.

Marines – Presley Neville O’Bannon, a Kentucky Marine, is both an historical American figure and an iconic United States Marine. Born in Faquier County, Virginia, O’Bannon entered the Marine Corps on January 18, 1801. As an officer assigned to the USS Argus, he commanded a detachment of seven Marines and two Navy midshipmen in diplomatic Consul General William Eaton’s small army during the Tripoli campaign of the First Barbary War (1801–1805). In the combined operations with the U.S. Navy, O’Bannon led the successful attack at the Battle of Derna, a coastal town in eastern modern Libya on April 27, 1805, giving the Marines’ Hymn its line “to the shores of Tripoli.” O’Bannon became the first man to raise a United States flag over foreign soil in time of war. According to Marine Corps legend, Hamet Karamanli was so impressed with O’Bannon’s bravery that he gave him a Mameluke sword, as a gesture of respect. O’Bannon resigned from the Marine Corps on March 6, 1807. He moved to Logan County, Kentucky, making his home in Russellville. O’Bannon served in the Kentucky State Legislature in 1812, 1817, and 1820–21, and in the Kentucky State Senate from 1824 to 1826. O’Bannon died in 1850 at age 74 in Pleasureville, Kentucky, where his daughter and nephew lived. In 1919, his remains were moved to the Frankfort Cemetery in Kentucky’s state capital.

O’Bannon’s home in Russellville, Kentucky has been restored by the “O’Bannon House Preservation Foundation, Inc.” (www.obannonhouse.org) and was formally dedicated with an open house on April 27, 2022. All Kentucky Marines were invited to attend and help celebrate our common heritage with Presley Neville O’Bannon.

On April 26, 2022 there was a Celebrity Gala and Auction at the Governor’s Club, Pleasant hill Mansion, Brentwood, Tennessee, to raise funds for the presentation of the O’Bannon House.

Thank you,
Ed Armento
MCCCK Secretary