1840 Watkins Log House & Fence
The stacked log fence surrounding this log house once protected "Mama's vegetable garden" from the livestock. Rustic handmade antiques and child sized chairs are part of the furnishings of this early East Texas hand-hewn home. A large sleeping loft is furnished with a variety of beds all covered with patchwork quilts. Children get to shake the feather bed and learn about the chamber pot pushed under the bed.
Built by Mrs. Thomas’s great uncle on her mother’s side of the family, this house was originally located in the Watkins settlement – about ten miles northwest of Nacogdoches near the Mahl Community. The structure is known as a “square” log house because the logs were squared off with a broad axe and smoothed with an adz. The logs were hewn in this manner because logs left rounded collect moisture, which hastens the rotting process. Later on, the logs were covered with milled timber, in an effort to improve the look of the cabin, and better insulate it against the weather. Mrs.Thomas removed some of the timbers on the south side of the house to expose the original logs.
Built by Mrs. Thomas’s great uncle on her mother’s side of the family, this house was originally located in the Watkins settlement – about ten miles northwest of Nacogdoches near the Mahl Community. The structure is known as a “square” log house because the logs were squared off with a broad axe and smoothed with an adz. The logs were hewn in this manner because logs left rounded collect moisture, which hastens the rotting process. Later on, the logs were covered with milled timber, in an effort to improve the look of the cabin, and better insulate it against the weather. Mrs.Thomas removed some of the timbers on the south side of the house to expose the original logs.
