T'was a woodworker's shop, it was...

It occurred to us that we didn't share photos of the interior of the "final product" of the Howard project. We hesitate to use the word "final," since it's still very much a work in progress (i.e. more tools, a tool cabinet, etc.). Regardless, we wanted to share! Here you are!

Note: the official dedication is slated for May 2010. Stay tuned for more details!

Connecting the past to the present...

The restoration of the Howard cabin has been a truly exciting undertaking. The results become even more rewarding, however, when we are able to unveil the beautiful reconstruction to an actual descendant of the Howard family.

Last Friday, we were treated to a visit from Joe Bentley, a Howard descendent living here in the area. It was truly amazing to see his eyes light up when he saw the home of his ancestors, a cabin he had played in as a child, beautifully brought back to life. We're so glad he was able to come by and see it!

Mr. Bentley has another connection to the past, however. In his "spare" time, he plays the role of "Tex" Dugan, a historical "character" from the cattle drive era.

As a token of appreciation to the Village, "Tex" will be here on Friday, June 26th, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. hosting a Texas Trail Driver's camp. You don't want to miss this!

Here are photos from Mr. Bentley's visit to see the restored Howard cabin:

Eaves Dropping...

Just in case you weren't sure whether or not the Howard needed remediation, here are a couple of photos showing the stark contrast between "before" and "after":

I can tell you which cabin I'D rather stand next to. :o)

From dirt to asphalt...Howard cabin nearing the end...

...nearing the end of construction, that is.

We have two exciting slideshows of photographs today. The dust is starting to settle, and completion of the restoration of the Howard cabin is becoming reality.

Truckloads of dirt have been hauled in, asphalt paths have been laid, the chinking is curing, and the finishing touches are being placed on the electricity. Now we just need the final cleaning, "secret" emergency phone line installation, and furnishing!

Soon our wrought iron fencing will be replaced, and access to the Marine School will be restored. We will keep fencing around the Howard cabin for a couple more weeks to allow the chinking to cure completely...but visitors and staff will still be able to get a close-up look at a brand-new-very-old historic structure.

We'll keep you posted as we get the cabin furnished. Can you guess what we're turning it into? We've mentioned it here before...

To view the project from beginning to end, just click the "Howard cabin" tag at the end of this post...

Howard cabin--flurry of activity!

Wow! Things are really happening at breakneck speed again around here! The photo slideshow encompasses part of last week and progress thus far this week. We're getting dangerously close to finish-out!

We will be sad to see our friends from Timber & Stone and Yeargan go, but we are anxious to gain access to that end of the Village again (and we KNOW they are anxious to move on to other projects...even if we ARE the coolest gig around...)

Here are the photos...the captions tell the story!

Great video from Star-Telegram.com!!!

Check out this awesome video about the Howard reconstruction from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram! Thanks to Jen Friedberg for taking an interest in our "little" project!

Stonewalling the Howard...

Hey all!

I'll keep this post short as this is another instance where a picture's worth a thousand words. And I'm sure you have learned by now that I can spit out a thousand words without blinking an eye (it's my history degree--I learned everything I needed to know about being verbose at college).

So I'll spare you. Enjoy! And have a great weekend (come see us)!

Our front porch looking in...at the Howard cabin, that is...

Well we haven't updated y'all about the Howard cabin in a little while, but it's not that we don't care. The changes happening, while critical, just haven't be as dramatic lately (nothing like the swinging logs and sledgehammers of prior stages). Most of the work now is finish-out--important elements like doors, windows, stairs, porches, hidden electricity...you get the picture.

A mason will soon begin work on the chimney/fireplaces, and the final step will be getting the chinking in place! We'll keep you posted...

In the meantime, here's a peek at some of the progress:

Blogger's remorse (& some Howard pics)...

...also known as, "I really should have posted these pictures yesterday...and blogged about XYZ the day before that...and I hope everyone is still finding this content relevant...did I just do too many Twitter tweets...is this thing on?"

Sigh. When did social media become so much like dating?

I suppose the dynamics of "making contact" and "keeping someone interested" don't vary that much in personal versus professional relationships. Anyone who's attended a networking event IRL (in real life--see how web savvy I am?) knows that it's just as much of a "dance" as going to the movies with a new friend (or significant other).

Here at the Village, we are trying to forge (no blacksmith pun intended) new relationships every day. When a recent poll indicated that very few museum visitors feel like museum staff actually care about them, we were stunned. Perhaps we've been living in an idealistic bubble, but we feel fortunate to have historical interpreters (our front-line staff) who TRULY love their jobs and truly love engaging our visitors. And our visitors seem to sense this contagious enthusiasm for both frontier life AND those who want to come experience it. We'd be crushed if our visitors thought we didn't care about them.

As the Log Cabin Village museum educator, my job is to help connect people of the present to our shared past. Recently this job has taken the form of social media ("Wondertwin powers...activate! Shape of...Facebook! Form of...Twitter!" By the way...if you don't get that last reference, you're too young. Google "Hall of Justice." :) :) :) ) It's easy to get mired down in one activity or the other. If you ignore your online presence, then you're doing a disservice to those relationships (which range from as close as one block away to as far as the United Kingdom). If you hang out on Twitter all day, then you may not be serving the people right outside your office door.

So how do you strike a balance? Is balance even possible?

All I know is that our visitors (our friends)--both on-site and online--are not just numbers to us. They represent the desire to do more, to teach more, and to reach more. And if we can do that successfully, then I guess it doesn't matter so much whether we've done it through a hands-on cabin or a Facebook update.

By the way, here are some photos of the Howard cabin progress--part of the reason for my remorse (because they should have been posted yesterday!!! :) :) :) ) The rest of the remorse stems from blog posts still churning in my brain, having yet been brought to life. In due time, in due time...

Howard cabin--bottom to top...

As we go into the weekend, let's leave you with some happy parting Howard cabin photos. The first floor being laid out, and shakes (shingles) being put on the roof.

The roof decking is on!

This has been another busy week for the Howard cabin! The roof decking is on and the cedar shakes (shingles) are on their way! I haven't wandered down there yet today...but I'm sure much more progress has already been made!

Here are photos:

Howard cabin--the rafters are in!

More great progress on the Howard cabin! The rafters are in and the framing has begun. We continue to be excited as new portions of the structure take shape. It's going to be a beautiful cabin!

Meanwhile our intrepid cabin builders brave wind and smoke from wildfires northwest of here... No one said that cabin reassembly was easy! :)

Here are the latest photos from yesterday and today...

Howard cabin--nearing the end of the "log" phase...

Wow! We're already very very very close to having the final logs in place (in fact...they are placing them as I type this)! Here are photos as they draw closer to the end of the log portion of the reconstruction.

Don't worry...there's plenty more to come--including roof framing and assembly, floors, doors, windows, chimneys/fireplaces, stairs/ramps...well...you get the picture!

Howard cabin--second story

Great strides are being made on the second story of the Howard cabin! Again...not much new information to add other than photos illustrating the progress...so enjoy!

Photos from today's work...

Wow! Can you believe how fast this thing is going up???

Photos from today...

Howard cabin--the walls get higher...

I think we've come to a point where a picture is worth a thousand words. I could go on and on about the leveling, the measuring, the stacking, the digging (for electrical lines)...but I'd really rather just show you.

Be sure to read the captions on the photos...they narrate as well. As always, please click on any individual photo within the slideshow to enlarge the photos and control the speed.

Reconstruction has officially begun!

It's been an interesting week so far for the Howard cabin. Surprisingly enough (note sarcasm-- :) ), reconstruction is a much more delicate process than dismantling the cabin. Beautiful flat pieces of limestone have been placed on the corner piers, and these are what will help support the corner notches of the cabin once it is fully reconstructed.

The foundation/bottom layer of the cabin is perhaps the most important step to get "right." The logs must be carefully leveled and stacked together to ensure the structure is sound when the subsequent logs are then added. This takes patience, time, and lot of hard work to achieve.

This week we've seen stones stacked and unstacked, logs placed and replaced, sill logs notched and re-notched, floor joists assembled, and disassembled, and a meeting of the minds behind the project. Yesterday the corner stones were finally mortared to the piers, and the delicate log stacking can begin.

You won't see as many photos of this phase (at least not as frequently) since reconstruction takes so much more time, but we promise to keep you posted!

Welcome back, Timber & Stone! We're glad to see you, Yeargan!

Pier drilling video...

As promised, here is the video of one of the pier holes for the Howard cabin foundation being drilled. Enjoy!


Digging the pier holes for the Howard cabin from logcabinvillage on Vimeo.

Laying the foundation...

The past few days have found our busy contractors literally "laying the foundation" for the future of the Howard cabin! Holes have been dug eight feet into the earth, rebar inserted, and concrete is currently being poured to fill the holes. The concrete will then cure for several days before the rebuilding process begins.

It's not the most glamorous part of the job, but you can't build a great cabin without a great foundation.

Thanks again to Yeargan Construction and to the foundation subcontractors, F & R Contractors, Inc., for completing this important step!

Please see photos below--video of pier drilling coming soon!

March special events...

Whew! We can finally stop and catch our breath for a minute! With all the whirlwind Howard cabin activity, it's been difficult to get a blog post in edgewise!

Today's exciting Log Cabin Village activities:

• The pier holes are being drilled for the Howard cabin's foundation
• The new post for the Foster House sign is being installed. The sign will go up tomorrow!

And we've got great treats for this month's special events, also! We hope to see you here...

March 8, 15, 22, and 29, 2009
SONGS AND STORIES WITH WICHITA BOB
1:30-3:30 p.m.
Enjoy folk tunes and cowboy music with Wichita Bob! Banjo, guitar, and mountain dulcimer music will all be featured.

March 13, 2009
TIMBER TALES STORYTIME
10:00—11:00 a.m.
Featured story: Texas Zeke and the Longhorn by David Davis. Can Zeke get his ornery longhorn home? With a little help from “friends,” this cowboy will be enjoying his chili in no time! $3 fee includes a story, fun activities, and a craft, all geared towards 3-5 year olds. Please call 817-392-5881 to make your reservation (required).

March 14, 2009
TOOLING AROUND...
1:00—4:00 p.m.
Grab your punches and your awls...it’s time to craft leather! Fort Worth’s own Lone Star Leather Crafters Guild will be here demonstrating their fine work and giving Village visitors the chance to stamp a little leather on their own! No reservations required. Cost is regular Village admission. Crafts for this event are generously provided by Tandy Leather Factory.