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[HumphreyHawk]

Wow....That is interesting information....

Wonder if the church/college has any influence over the park then?  Do they get a say in ride development, shows, etc?  Maybe they have a handshake agreement for a cut in revenues?  A cheap lease on the land would be a huge cost benefit for the company (and helps keep our ticket prices down).

I wonder if HFE has ever tried to buy it from them or do a land swap....It's hard to imagine that the church/college would ever cause the park to close (huge impact to Branson) over a land issue but it should be concerning as it is a big financial risk to the long-term stability of the park. 

[MoOzark]

I have done a little research on the land records of Section 29. Here are some highlights of the early history:

-- In 1870, the Atlantic and Pacific (A&P) Railroad announced plans to construct a new railroad across the White River region, from Monett, Missouri, to Batesville, Arkansas.

-- The A&P Railroad was given a land grant by the US Government of 140,000 acres. The grant consisted of alternating sections of land on either side of the proposed route.

-- George Gilbert of Springfield, Missouri, purchased all of section 29, the square mile that included Marble Cave. He purchased the land solely as an investment.

-- In 1884, Mr. T. Hodge Jones purchased all of sec. 29. The land was transferred to the corporation, The Marble Cave Mining and Manufacturing Company.

-- In 1884, J. B..Emery, president of the Marble Cave Mining Co., filed a plat for the town of Marble City with Stone County.

-- In 1893, Arthur Lynch of Jackson County, Missouri, bought the one-square-mile cave property (sec. 29) for $7,000.

-- In 1893, Arthur sold sec. 29 to his brother, William Henry Lynch who was living in Canada. The price was $10,000.

-- In 1901, a small plot (2 to 4 acres) was donated by Levi Morrill for the Marble Cave School, but this was probably in sec. 20.

-- Year Unknown:  80 acres (E ½, NE ¼ of Sec. 29) transferred to Lizzie Goodan.

-- (about 1913 ?) William Henry Lynch died and his land in sec. 29 was transferred to his daughters. (I believe this was 560 acres).

Please let me know if any of this is in error or it I left out anything.

[Coaster]

^Interesting. I really wish we knew more about this lease and what it means for the future of SDC. Things could get sticky but I hope not.

[Junior, too!]

The Herschends and CofO and the downtown Branson church have maintained friendly relationships from day one, as far as I know. I think some of the Herschends attend that church. Over the years, that friendly relationship has benefitted all three entities, I would not expect that to change.