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A Historic Treasure
historic A
TREASURE
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by Leena Duwadi | photos courtesy of The Flower Mound Foundation
Dentonites are excited as they are going to see the ancient Gibson-Grant Cabin in a brand new look in August this year. The renovation project is at its peak with an estimated cost of $1.5 million.
This historic log cabin, which is situated in Flower Mound, was discovered in 2015 by Curtis Grant, a Flower Mound developer who sold it to the town the same year. Grant discovered the log house inside the living room walls of a modern-day house he had purchased with the intent of demolishing it and subdividing the land for residential development. After acquiring the property, the Town of Flower Mound named the house in recognition of William Gibson (the original owner) and Curtis Grant. Soon, experts started working on plans to restore the house and preserve the cabin portion. In 2018, the Town of Flower Mound approved a Master Plan for the cabin. Quimby McCoy was hired to develop a Historic Structure Report and Master Plan for the Gibson-Grant Log House.
We are glad to tell you the story of this real treasure, Gibson-Grant Log Cabin, which is one of the few remaining log structures in Denton. The beginning of the cabin dates back to the 1860s. Records state that William Gibson, a Peters colonist who came to Flower Mound with the Missouri Colonists in 1844, built the cabin followed by a farmhouse constructed around it. The house is situated at the intersection of Flower Mound Rd. and Quail Run. The Gibson family had received 640 acres of land as part of the Peters Colony, which the subject property is part of.
Fifteen wall logs and chinking pieces from the cabin were sampled for treering dating analysis, which derived the conclusion that the hewn timbers that were cut between 1857 and 1860 were used to build the house in 1860 with notched corners and flush ends along with stone chimneys and wood plank floors.
It was originally a single-pen log house that was later extended to double-pen and triple-pen. It is also said that when the house was being expanded, the roof
of the original log house was removed, and cutting openings were made in the original log walls. From the time of Gibson’s death in 1865 to the rediscovery of the cabin, several families lived in the house and made additions to it. The official blog of the Denton County Office of History and Culture states that W. W. Kerr’s family was one of the earliest known families who owned the property in 1890 and lived there until the 1920s.
With most of the property being sold off over time, both the site and the house have evolved throughout history. According to the town’s report, only four families owned the Gibson-Grant property for the first 77 years of its existence. After that, from 1937-1978, the ownership of the property changed hands 11 times. The frequent change in the ownership over those four decades is one of the main reasons why the information of the house’s interior was diluted.
The restoration project will not only preserve an exceptional historic house, but it will also give the public an opportunity to cherish the history of their county and learn the old stories of how Denton’s earliest settlers lived.
The renovation project includes structural and exterior modifications, roof replacement, and mechanical and plumbing interior improvements. The historic walls will be infilled where door openings were later cut into the wall or shiplap siding was removed. To showcase the earliest construction, a portion of the log walls will be exposed. The site will have a parking area and restroom building as well.
The local community emerged as a great supporter throughout this project. The site has been included in media coverage, student projects, and open houses with tours that have boosted the spirit of the members who are directly involved in the renovation. Officials are also happy about including the log cabin on the National Register of Historic Places.
