Upcoming closure...

Just a reminder, we will be closed from August 23-September 6 for annual summer maintenance. We use this time to help keep the site looking great for y'all!

Projects on tap for this closure include: mowing, weedeating, cleaning, laundry, deadlimbing, new post and cable down Log Cabin Village Lane, and MORE!

I, personally, will be using a lot of the time to work on our hands-on cabin. Look for new "food" items, activities, pump gaskets, and more! After three years in operation, the hands-on cabin needs freshening up a bit...

I also plan to finalize some of our fall/winter programming plans. We hope that you'll be excited about the events we plan to offer!

So we may be closed to visitors during this time, but we will certainly be abuzz with activity! Stay tuned...

A tale of two weeks...

It was the best of times...it was the worst of times. It was two weeks of productivity for Log Cabin Village. Some of the time was hot, other days were, well, less hot. But this one truth remains: we look GREAT and ready to greet our visitors when we re-open on Tuesday, September 8th (9:00 a.m. sharp, y'all. 8:59 a.m. if y'all line up at the gate, hint hint).

Here are some "before" and "after" shots of various projects we completed during the closure (with a little help from our friends). This is by no means an exhaustive list, but it's impressive nevertheless.

The Foster House "lean-to" before being re-sided (with Village Director, Kelli as a bonus)

The lean-to AFTER. New shutters, new lease on life. Those windows are where all the behind-the-scenes magic happens, folks. I'm typing from there as we speak.

The dirt blacksmith shop floor before...

The dirt floor now partially on the OUTSIDE of the structure...

The beauteous brick floor AFTER! Note the awesome herringbone pattern...

Our employee break room before being painted...

Again...

I don't really have a good AFTER shot here. Just imagine this room much whiter and scuff-free.

Broken pump parts before...can you guess which one is the faulty plunger assembly?

Our glorious pump AFTER! Kelli's there again--she's like the "Where's Waldo?" of Log Cabin Village. :) Please also note the new brick pad under the pump...

And I don't have a before photo of this little gem, simply referred to as "The Cat's House." Imagine a wee little cabin in disrepair with random rotting boards and nails sticking out... It was originally located behind the Foster House, and it has always been a visitor favorite (even though our snooty cats refuse to use it). Now it has a new lease on life and has been relocated behind the Seela hands-on cabin. Fabulous!

We have, of course had various other projects taking place during the closure: new clothes, laundry, organization of craft and education supplies, cleaning of cabins, , signs, trash-cans, and benches, collections inventory and care, tree-trimming, tour prep, mail-outs, supply orders, reservations...the list goes on and on.

And next week, when the gates swing open and once again little (and BIG) footsteps of our delightful visitors anxiously pitter pat past our door to go see the cabins and our historical interpreters, we'll be reminded of why this was all done.

And why it was all worth it.

Bricks and paint and lumber, oh my!

We are officially in day two of our summer maintenance closure, yet the Village is abuzz with activity! The Foster house lean-to (which houses the staff break room and offices) is being re-sided, the break room is being painted, the blacksmith shop is getting a brick floor (using authentic historic Camp Bowie brick), and brick is being laid under the pump at the Seela hands-on cabin. We are going to look SO GOOD for y'all when we re-open on September 8th!

Check us out so far...

Just like the old days...

A power outage at the Village today afforded us the rare opportunity to show folks what it was really like "back then." The cabins looked much different dimly illuminated by natural light. Our school groups LOVED the experience--they didn't want to leave.

Life without electric light, while annoying at times, is also strangely peaceful.

Here are a couple of videos illustrating the importance of windows and natural light to those living without electricity. Pardon the quality of the video...it's a little rocky (hence the reason I'm an educator, not a filmaker :) )...

The first video is from our Marine School...a place with a lot of windows...

The second is from the Seela hands-on cabin. No window...but a lot of darkness.

Enjoy!


Power outage at Log Cabin Village, Fort Worth, TX--Marine School from logcabinvillage on Vimeo.



Power outage at Log Cabin Village, Fort Worth, TX--Seela hands-on cabin from logcabinvillage on Vimeo.

Hands-On and Age Appropriate...

If you haven't visited Log Cabin Village lately, you're in for a real treat! We unveiled our latest educational endeavor at the end of September: the Seela hands-on cabin. Although it is sometimes billed as a cabin for kids, we have found that adults are enjoying it just as much (if not more).

The cabin is exactly as the name implies: completely hands-on. You can help fluff the feather ticking on the rope bed, prepare dinner at the hearth, try on clothes, and card some wool. We even have an outdoor area now, complete with a chicken coop and a pump to draw water. A garden plot and wagon loading area are in the works...so stay tuned! As one young visitor said in our guest book, "The best is the one to touch."

You will also want to check out our touch baskets available in each cabin. History is now hands-on!

Postscript: some of the winter honeysuckle is in bloom here at the Village. I always look forward to this time of year, because the air outside is literally SWEET! Seems early this year, but I'm sure Mother Nature is just as confused as the rest of us by this crazy Texas weather.