The Little Echota Cherokee Log Cabin
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This is the story of how our tribe received a wonderful donation of a log cabin. The story was related from a tribal citizen who did not want to be mentioned but she and her family were the ones who had knowledge of the cabin and knew the donors.
In 1995, the donors, Tom and Brenda Close, purchased some land from the Thompsons. On this land, there was a small house or so it appeared to be. The Close family decided to tear the small house down but as they removed the siding, they discovered that the small house was an old log cabin. On the inside where sheet rock had been placed over the walls, once torn away, the logs appeared. Having someone come out and look at it, the family was told the log cabin was built before the 1918s because of the hand-hewed heart pine logs. Heart pine has a great deal of sap in it and hardens the wood like hardwood trees. They also discovered it was a Cherokee style cabin with a dog trot center in the middle. The Close family wanted the cabin removed from their land, but a moving company would not remove it. So the family began to search for a means to have it removed.
In or around 2004 or 2005, the current Chief of the Echota Cherokee Tribe of Alabama was Chief Billy Shaw. He was looking for a log cabin and found one in Mississippi, but could not gather the resources to have it moved to the tribal grounds. Unknown to him at the time, the teller of this story was in a class with Mrs. Close and heard her talk about the log cabin on her property. After several discussions, it was decided that the family would donate the cabin to the tribe.
Chief Shaw was extremely pleased and called the citizens together to come dismantle the cabin. Many of our people showed up with equipment and a trailer. Everyone pitched in and they numbered each log as they dismantled the log cabin. One of our citizens, Bobby Borden, drove back and forth with the trailer hauling the log cabin, piece by piece.
Once on the tribal grounds and a few days later, our citizens, using the number method, put the log cabin back together. The next summer at the Kid’s Camp, the leaders made an old- fashioned straw and clay mixture and had the children pack the seams between each log. It was sealed with red clay and straw. As time passed, this wore out and tribal citizen James Wires put chinking in the walls. Later, a citizen asked Lucky Bates to build a front and back porch with wide steps. Lucky was thrilled to do it.
Several citizens contributed to the decorating of the cabin. Sue and Marvin donated the rope bed that you see there today. Some citizens installed the windows. The local Boy Scouts came and helped with the cabin as well. Later, Dennis Tuck put a tin sink on the back porch. Later the tribe hired someone to build the two chimneys as the original chimneys were not brought to the tribal lands.
The Close family states that there is an abstract that lists all the owners of the log cabin. This would be a great adventure to obtain as additional history for our little log cabin.
We wish to thank everyone who was involved in relocating our log cabin to the tribal grounds. We thank the Close family, the citizens who helped, Chief Shaw, and last but not least, the teller of this story. Without her knowledge, we would have lost the history of our cabin.
If you were a part of this wonderful history or know additional information about our cabin, please email the webmaster with the information by clicking on the link at the bottom of this page. Sgi (thanks)
In 1995, the donors, Tom and Brenda Close, purchased some land from the Thompsons. On this land, there was a small house or so it appeared to be. The Close family decided to tear the small house down but as they removed the siding, they discovered that the small house was an old log cabin. On the inside where sheet rock had been placed over the walls, once torn away, the logs appeared. Having someone come out and look at it, the family was told the log cabin was built before the 1918s because of the hand-hewed heart pine logs. Heart pine has a great deal of sap in it and hardens the wood like hardwood trees. They also discovered it was a Cherokee style cabin with a dog trot center in the middle. The Close family wanted the cabin removed from their land, but a moving company would not remove it. So the family began to search for a means to have it removed.
In or around 2004 or 2005, the current Chief of the Echota Cherokee Tribe of Alabama was Chief Billy Shaw. He was looking for a log cabin and found one in Mississippi, but could not gather the resources to have it moved to the tribal grounds. Unknown to him at the time, the teller of this story was in a class with Mrs. Close and heard her talk about the log cabin on her property. After several discussions, it was decided that the family would donate the cabin to the tribe.
Chief Shaw was extremely pleased and called the citizens together to come dismantle the cabin. Many of our people showed up with equipment and a trailer. Everyone pitched in and they numbered each log as they dismantled the log cabin. One of our citizens, Bobby Borden, drove back and forth with the trailer hauling the log cabin, piece by piece.
Once on the tribal grounds and a few days later, our citizens, using the number method, put the log cabin back together. The next summer at the Kid’s Camp, the leaders made an old- fashioned straw and clay mixture and had the children pack the seams between each log. It was sealed with red clay and straw. As time passed, this wore out and tribal citizen James Wires put chinking in the walls. Later, a citizen asked Lucky Bates to build a front and back porch with wide steps. Lucky was thrilled to do it.
Several citizens contributed to the decorating of the cabin. Sue and Marvin donated the rope bed that you see there today. Some citizens installed the windows. The local Boy Scouts came and helped with the cabin as well. Later, Dennis Tuck put a tin sink on the back porch. Later the tribe hired someone to build the two chimneys as the original chimneys were not brought to the tribal lands.
The Close family states that there is an abstract that lists all the owners of the log cabin. This would be a great adventure to obtain as additional history for our little log cabin.
We wish to thank everyone who was involved in relocating our log cabin to the tribal grounds. We thank the Close family, the citizens who helped, Chief Shaw, and last but not least, the teller of this story. Without her knowledge, we would have lost the history of our cabin.
If you were a part of this wonderful history or know additional information about our cabin, please email the webmaster with the information by clicking on the link at the bottom of this page. Sgi (thanks)