# Bill Clinton's childhood home vandalized and burned. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 27, 2015, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-clintons-childhood-home-vandalized-and-burned/741504 "2015-12-27T21:53:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2015, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-clintons-childhood-home-vandalized-and-burned/741504/1 "2015-12-27T21:53:11Z")
Very, very fortunate that this fire got reported early. They easily could have lost the building in another hour. These bastards picked the wrong house. It’s A National Historic Site and the Feds will hunt them down. I hope they prosecute them to the fullest extant of the law. Bill Clinton is an important legacy of my state. The most prominent and influential person that ever came from here. They’ll get the damage fixed and the site can reopen to tourists, > **[Bill Clinton’s first home damaged in suspected arson | CNN Politics](https://www.cnn.com/2015/12/25/politics/arkansas-bill-clinton-home-fire/)** > > An early Christmas morning fire at the first home of former U.S. President Bill Clinton in Arkansas is being investigated as arson, authorities said. > [@](#): > > An early Christmas morning fire at the first home of former U.S. President Bill Clinton in Arkansas is being investigated as arson, authorities said. > > The blaze in the rear of the two-story white frame house in Hope was reported by a passing motorist at 3:17 a.m. Friday, according to J.R. Wilson, police chief of the southwestern Arkansas city. > > The fire appeared to originate at the base of an exterior wall and rose about 8 feet midway up the house, Wilson said. > > A National Historic Site, the house belonged to Clinton’s grandparents and he lived there for four years after his birth in 1946, according to Arkansas’ state website. > > “The building is in good shape, (and) the fire department extinguished the fire very quickly,” Wilson said. > > Smell at the scene indicated an accelerant may have been used, ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2015, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-clintons-childhood-home-vandalized-and-burned/741504/2 "2015-12-27T22:08:19Z")
Theres also another smaller home in Hope where Bill lived with his mom after leaving his grandparent’s home. Its near the hospital and I think owned privately. I had family in Hope and knew the town well. They’ve all passed away now and I no longer have any reason to visit. Its probably changed a lot since I last visited 20 years ago. ---
**Author:** ![botsgotme](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@botsgotme](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/botsgotme)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2015, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-clintons-childhood-home-vandalized-and-burned/741504/3 "2015-12-28T13:44:10Z")
It was reported that the fire did $0.76 worth of damage.😃 ---
**Author:** ![Oddball\_92](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/b3f665/32.png) [@Oddball\_92](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oddball_92)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2015, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-clintons-childhood-home-vandalized-and-burned/741504/4 "2015-12-28T14:21:51Z")
I’ll bet it was that Lewinsky person. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2015, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-clintons-childhood-home-vandalized-and-burned/741504/5 "2015-12-28T14:37:43Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I had family in Hope and knew the town well. Are the watermelons really better in Hope? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2015, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-clintons-childhood-home-vandalized-and-burned/741504/6 "2015-12-28T15:32:24Z")
Sorry, I can’t work up any outrage over this. Certainly less than I could for a house where people actually live, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2015, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-clintons-childhood-home-vandalized-and-burned/741504/7 "2015-12-28T18:15:45Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Are the watermelons really better in Hope? 🙂 They are really good. I attended the annual Watermelon festival several times in the 1980’s. I’ve heard its drawing huge crowds, from across the state now. Arkansas ranks pretty low on practically anything. Income, education, or whatever poll the academic wonks dream up. It’s still a great place to live and Bill Clinton is our native son. Raised in our culture and attended our public schools.He’s not the only Rhodes scholar that came from here, but is the most well known. I’m just glad an irreplaceable part of our history wasn’t lost to something as stupid as vandalism and arson. Only 43 people have served the US as President and Arkansas has produced only one of them. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2015, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-clintons-childhood-home-vandalized-and-burned/741504/8 "2015-12-28T18:28:00Z")
You’ve got Johnny Cash. What more do you want? ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2015, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-clintons-childhood-home-vandalized-and-burned/741504/9 "2015-12-28T18:42:51Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > You’ve got Johnny Cash. What more do you want? I’ll take a Hope watermelon over a burning ring of fire any day of the week! 🙂