Cimarron River
Log Cabin
|
The three room cedar log cabin on location near the southern bank of the Cimarron River just south of Waynoka, OK.
|
The restoration of the pioneer log cabin at Waynoka Station has been
completed. The Waynoka Historical Society invites everyone interested in
seeing the beautifully and meticulously restored three room cabin to
attend the Ribbon Cutting and Open House on Thursday, July 27, 2006, at
10 a.m. The log cabin is at Waynoka Station at the corner of Waynoka
Street and Cleveland Street, two blocks west of Main Street on the BNSF
Transcon rail line.
The cabin was built of cedar logs by Joseph Barnett in about 1904 not
far from the Cimarron River in the Ziegler community, which was about 8
miles southeast of Waynoka, OK. Joseph and his wife, Wealthy Ann, had
six children. Most or all were grown by the time Joseph and Annie moved
into the log house. Joseph was a direct descendent of Thomas Allen White
of Boston Tea Party fame. Joseph's mother was a cousin of Abraham
Lincoln. Wealthy Ann Brown Barnett's ancestry goes back to 1720 in
Myrickville, Massachusetts.
The log cabin was given to the Waynoka Historical Society by Jeryl
Hutchison in the 1980s. In June, 2002, community volunteers and
Chesapeake Energy Corporation employees from their Waynoka office
dismantled the cabin and moved it to the Society's property near the
Santa Fe Depot. The property had been donated by Charlene and Bill
Bixler.
It was early in 2005 before work began on the reconstruction of the
cabin. Bill Buckley, Waynoka, agreed to take on the job. Bill is a
carpenter with a lot of experience building houses, and a deep
appreciation for history. His main helper was his cousin, Ray Nutter.
The logs and the native rocks from the cabin's foundation were all that
remained from the original log cabin. The roof and flooring were gone,
but the angle of the roof was salvaged. Historical society members had
taken dozens of photographs of the details of the cabin. Thanks to the
photos, the placement of the individual logs could be identified. A few
logs had to be replaced. Bill donated some that he had which were
already cured and ready for use. Those logs also provided the needed
cedar lumber for the doors and window frames. A curator from Ft. Supply
provided a recipe for the chinking. Material from several old houses in
Waynoka was salvaged for floors and the kitchen ceiling. The work
progressed slowly but surely. The restoration of the cabin was finished in the spring of 2006.
In the interim between the moving of the logs and the rebuilding,
Waynoka Historical Society president Sandie Olson saw the name of Joseph
Barnett in Okie Legacy, an online newsletter, and recognized the name from the abstract of
the property where the log cabin had stood. Thanks to the internet, the descendents of Joseph and
Wealthy Ann Barnett now know the location of the log cabin, a part of their heritage.
Daryal Toellner, a professional interpreter from Old Town in Wichita,
will be at the Open House, portraying Joseph Barnett.
The restored Section Foreman's House from Edith, OK, on the Buffalo
Northwestern Railroad is next to the cabin, and will be open for
touring. The Waynoka History Museum on the second floor of the Harvey
House will be open as well. Admission will be free in honor of the
occasion. The Gift Shop on the first floor of the Harvey House will also
be open. The Museum is accessible by elevator. The restaurant in the
restored Harvey House opens at 11 a.m. It's a treat to watch the many
trains going by on the Transcon.
Coffee and muffins will be served at the Ribbon Cutting and Open House.
Everyone is encouraged to join the festivities.
Click here to view the Log Cabin Photo page.
|
|
)