Log Cabin Village
Connect With The Ancestors
Structures
Log Cabin Village features a collection of Texas log cabins each showcasing a distinct architectural style. Dating from the mid to late 1800s, these structures allow us to quite literally step into the homes of our ancestors and imagine what life might have been like in 19th century Texas. Click on the name of a cabin to learn more about its history, or keep scrolling to read about each one. Have a question about the cabins? Click here for frequently asked questions!
Blacksmith Shop
The Blacksmith Shop was built on-site in the 1980s to represent a typical forge found on the Texas frontier. Our historical interpreters use the space to demonstrate blacksmithing and the craftsmanship required to create the ironwork needed by our pioneer ancestors.
Foster House Parlor
The Foster House is an “I” home with square notching built by enslaved workers around 1853. Originally, the first floor consisted of an entrance hall, a parlor, two bedrooms, a kitchen, and a dining area. A narrow stairway led to the second story with three more bedrooms. Today the home serves as the entrance to the Village. The parlor is decorated to show Victorian tastes in interior design.
Howard Cabin
The Howard Cabin is a two-story single-pen house built in the 1860s. The original chimney provided a fireplace both upstairs and downstairs. Today, our talented historical interpreters use the cabin to show off the skills of 19th century woodworkers.
Marine Schoolhouse
The Marine School is an example of a typical one-room schoolhouse built in the 1870s. This building was originally located in what is now Fort Worth’s Northside neighborhood. The Schoolhouse still serves as a space to inspire a love of learning for all ages!
Parker Cabin
The Parker Cabin is a double-pen dogtrot home built sometime in the 1840s-1850s. A dogtrot is a breezeway that separates two log rooms to allow for cooling breezes to flow through the house in the summer. The Parker Cabin has ties to several big names in Texas history including Isaac Parker, his niece Nadua (Cynthia Ann Parker), and Amon G. Carter. Learn more when you stop by and visit with our historical interpreters!
Pickard Cabin
The Pickard Cabin is a one-and-a-half-story single pen cabin built circa 1855. The cabin was originally located along Spring Creek, less than ten miles south of Weatherford in Parker County. While the Village only has one pen, the structure was once a dogtrot ell cabin with three rooms arranged in an "L" shape separated by breezeways. Today Village interpreters demonstrate 19th-century spinning and weaving in the Pickard cabin.
Seela Cabin
The Seela Cabin is a single-pen cabin built in the 1860s. The cabin originally stood along Spring Creek in Parker county, south of Weatherford. The Seela cabin now serves as the Village’s hands-on cabin where all our visitors are invited to try their hand at pioneer chores and pastimes!
Shaw Cabin and Gristmill
The Shaw Cabin and Gristmill is a single-pen cabin built around 1854. Throughout its lifetime it’s been many things: a home, bunkhouse, and storage barn with livestock sheds. At the Village, our historical interpreters use the Shaw Cabin to demonstrate the work and importance of gristmills on the Texas frontier.
Tompkins Cabin
The Tompkins Cabin is a single-pen cabin built around 1853. At one point, the cabin had two pens connected by a central chimney that could heat both sides of the cabin. It was the cabin moved from its original location near present-day Peaster to the Village in 1958. Today, the Tompkins cabin is well known to visitors as the candle pot cabin; historical interpreters dip candles and invite visitors to try their hand at this important 19th-century skill.
Frequently asked questions
Are these buildings real?
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The only structure on our site that is not an authentic historic structure is the reproduction blacksmith shop. All of our other buildings (except the modern bathrooms) were built in the mid-19th century.
Does anyone live at Log Cabin Village?
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No, none of our human staff live at the Village. Only our resident felines stay here.
Were the cabins originally built here?
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All of the structures were moved to the site from other locations in north and central Texas between the late 1950s and early 2000s.
How were the cabins moved here?
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All of the buildings except the Marine School and the Tompkins Cabin were dismantled log by log and relocated and restored on site. The Marine School (sans roof) and the Tompkins were moved intact.
What kind of wood was used to build the cabins?
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Oak and cedar were the trees of choice for the cabins preserved at Log Cabin Village.
Are these log cabins or log houses?
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All of our log structures are actually log houses. Log cabins were temporary structures that were quickly constructed with round logs that still had the bark. These buildings were squared up and hand hewn for more permanent use. For more information, please check out TSHA's page on Texas log architecture.
What is chinking?
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Chinking is the material (i.e. rocks, sticks, mud, and straw) placed between the gaps of stacked logs to help keep out the elements. Today, we use a modern compound called Log Jam to better care for and preserve the buildings for future generations.