History & Activity Guide
The Harry A. Foster Home
In the mid 1800s, a large part
of north Texas remained
unsettled by anyone other than
American Indians. The West was
vast and unknown to the many
pioneers who made the long,
hazardous journey to this
uncertain land. The Foster family
and their slaves were among
these pioneers.
Harry Foster’s adventurous
spirit and desire for a better life
led him to Texas, which in many
letters he referred to as “the land
of sunshine and flowers.”
Harry was born in 1814 in
Tennessee. His family moved to
Mississippi, where the Fosters
were prominent plantation
owners.
In 1836, he married the
wealthy Martha Ann Davis. Six
children were born to them.
Harry made several trips into
the New Republic of Texas in
search of the finest cotton land.
In 1850, Harry purchased 500
acres of land in Milam County,
Texas where this impressive
two story log home was built.
The Foster slaves hand hewed
and stacked the logs from large
oaks and cedars which grew
from the Brazos River bottom.
Originally, the front doors
opened into a wide entry hall,
much like it does today. The
room which now serves as the
gift shop was a bedroom, and
the parlor, a favorite
gathering place of friends, was
located where it is today. The
kitchen was in the room by
the stairway and another
Pioneer Snapshot—
Snapshot— The Wedding Gift
When Harry Foster married
Martha Ann Davis in 1836, he
gave her a beautiful rosewood
piano as a wedding gift.
When they
moved to Texas,
they did not want
to expose their
prized possession
to the perils of
road travel in the nineteenth
century. Instead, the Fosters had
the piano shipped from New
Orleans to Galveston where it
was stored until a steamboat
ventured up the Brazos River to
Port Sullivan in 1859. The piano
still sits in their parlor at Log
Cabin Village.
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bedroom was located across the
hallway from it. The dining room
occupied the latter portion of the
hallway. The narrow stairway led
to three more bedrooms.
Despite facing many hardships and
uncertainties in the new state of
Texas, the Fosters became
prominent in their new community.
They administered a large cotton
plantation which prospered through
slave labor prior to the Civil War.
After the war, many of the freed
men and women remained as
sharecroppers. Unfortunately, lile
is known about them.
When Martha died in 1870, Harry
connued to live in the house with his
bachelor son, William Henry, unl his
own death in 1891.
The great log house remained in
connuous use unl the 1930s. In
1969, Joseph W. Foster donated it for
restoraon at Log Cabin Village.
2100 Log Cabin Village Lane
Fort Worth, Texas 76109
Phone (817)392-5881
Fax (817)392-7610
www.logcabinvillage.org
Hours: Tue - Fri 9 am - 4 pm
Sat
1 pm - 5 pm
Sun
1 pm - 5 pm
Closed Mondays
Operated by the
City of Fort Worth’s
Parks & Recreation Department
History & Acvity Guide
How Big Was That?
from Early Settler Activity
Guide
Using string and a
student standing at each
corner, create a rectangle
to represent the size of an
average first home,
approximately 16 ft X 20
ft (5m X 6m). This space
could also be outlined on
asphalt with chalk, or
with poster paint on a
washable floor.
Emphasize that this was
the family’s total living
space!
• How many students
can stand comfortably
in the area?
• How much furniture
would you put in this
space?
Have students construct
a floor plan of a first
cabin or shanty using a
simple scale. Draw in
items of furniture. This
activity is easier if graph
paper is used.
The Pickard Cabin
William Sidney Pickard was born in 1834 in the small community of
Mount Pleasant, Tennessee. In 1856, he married Malissa Ellen Dickson
(born in 1835). Later that same year, the young couple loaded their
wagon with a few necessary household possessions and moved to
Texas with his father’s family and slaves.
Arriving in Parker County, the elder Pickard purchased a 320 acre
farm in the Spring Creek community. The Pickards raised horses from
the stock they had brought from Tennessee.
In 1863, after returning from the Civil War, William purchased this
story-and-a-half log home along with 90 acres for his own growing
family. The house was located near a tributary of Spring Creek near
Mount Nebo. The cabin had belonged to the Patillo family who built
it in the early 1850s.
In subsequent years, William purchased additional acreage, enlarging
the original tract to 400 acres. Like his father, he raised horses and
various grain crops.
In this log home and its frame additions, the Pickards raised their
family of eight children.
William Pickard was a
prominent and highly
respected resident of Parker
County. At one time,
William served as County
Commissioner and as
President of the Parker
County Pioneer
Association.
He died at home in 1898.
Malissa survived him, dying
at the age of 77 in 1902.
Color Me Naturally!
The color of natural wool varies
from sheep to sheep, but it is
definitely not bright!
To get a little variety in their
clothing, the pioneers dyed their
homespun yarns and materials. As
with many
other things,
they had to
resort to
nature to
make their
dyes.
Try this on some white wool yarn,
cotton cloth or Easter eggs:
In a small bowl dissolve mordant*:
1 1/2 tsp. Alum
1 1/2 tsp. Cream of Tartar
1 cup Boiling Water
In a large enamel pan add to
mordant:
1 Gallon Water
2 Handfuls of Purple Onion Skin
Simmer for 45 minutes.
Cool dye to luke warm, strain and
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add small wet wool skein, cotton
cloth, or uncooked eggs. Simmer for
15 minutes, and stir occasionally.
Remove wool or cloth. Rinse
with hot water first, then in cooler
water. Hang in shade to dry.
Remove eggs and let dry. Rotate
to prevent dark spots.
Experiment with different items,
recipes and simmering times!
(* a mordant “sets” the color)
History & Acvity Guide
The Seela Cabin
Wagons Ho!
What Would You Pack?
Rebecca and Isaac Seela emigrated
to Texas when life in 1854 Missouri
began crowding them and their
family. They sold their farm,
loaded their household belongings
into their wagons, and made the
long journey. It is believed that the
family went first to Goliad, then
northward into Parker County.
Rebecca and Isaac homesteaded
160 acres on Spring Creek, about 12 miles south of Weatherford,
Texas.
When Isaac first staked out his home site, there was a group of
Caddo Indians camped out on Spring Creek. An elder warned him
not to build his and Rebecca’s cabin too near the creek which had
been known to flood during heavy rains. Isaac paid no heed to the
Indian’s warning. The cabin was washed away in a spring flood.
The second cabin, built above the food plain, stood on its original
location until Isaac’s grandson, James Newton Seela, donated it for
restoration at the Log Cabin Village.
Isaac Seela, one of the 13 children of John Nicholas Seely (later
spelled Seela) and Katherine Brinker, grew up near the present city of
St. Louis, Missouri. Rebecca White married young Isaac in 1827.
Five years later, the family moved south to the small community of
Sarcoxie, Missouri. Traveling along with them was Rebecca’s father,
112 year-old Shadrach White, a Revolutionary soldier from Virginia,
her 80 year-old mother, and other members of the White Family.
Isaac and Rebecca were the parents of 13 children, 11 of which
lived to maturity. Rebecca preceded Isaac in death but the exact
date is not known. Isaac died in 1872.
If you are like most people, you
over pack for trips. “Better safe
than sorry!” we say.
But the pioneers did not have
the luxury of space. When they
moved west, they had to pack all
their essentials into a covered
wagon.
If you were put in that
situation, what would you take?
Try this:
In groups of two to three,
pretend you are a family that is
moving from St. Louis, Missouri
to the Texas frontier. You will
not be living in an organized
town or village. The nearest
trading post might be miles
away.
On the floor, mark out (or
surround with chairs) a space that
is 10 feet long and 4 feet wide
and 2 feet tall. That was the size
of the interior of a covered
wagon.
Ask the question, “What would
you take to start a new life and
home?” Make a list and share
with others.
The Long Dusty Trail
Today, we are a mobile society. If we
need milk, we zip down to the local
store. If we are bored, we dash out to
an entertainment spot. If we are hurt,
we race to the emergency room.
Traveling a hundred miles in a day is not
extraordinary.
Our pioneer ancestors did relocate
great distances, but the words “zip,”
“race,” and “dash” were not associated
with travel. For most, the nearest town
or village was at least a one or two day
trip by horse and buggy.
Just for fun, try this:
Long Trips - The Seela family moved
from Missouri to Texas. On a map,
locate a town in southwest Missouri and
Weatherford in Texas. Using current
highways...
a. Calculate their traveling time in a
covered wagon, at a speedy 2 miles per
hour (8 hours per day). Add an extra
day for hazards such as crossing large
rivers or mountains.
b. Calculate your traveling time in a
car at an average speed of 55 miles per
hour.
Short Trips - Pick a trip you make
everyday (like riding the school bus)
and calculate the following...
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a. Riding a stagecoach, at a dizzying
2 1/2 miles per hour (8 hours per day)
b. Riding in your family car at 35
miles per hour.
c. Compare the two trips and how
you would have to change your daily
routine if you were a pioneer.
History & Acvity Guide
The Parker Cabin
After fighting in the War of
1812, Isaac Parker arrived in
Tennessee. There he met and
married Lucy W. Cheatham in
1816. They resided there only a
short time before heading west
to the Illinois frontier where
five of their children were born.
In 1833, the Parkers migrated
to Texas, which was still part of
Mexico, and settled near the
present town of Elkhart. A few
years later, The Declaration of
Texas Independence was signed
and Isaac was involved in
establishing the New Republic.
Later, when Texas joined the
United States, Isaac served as a
State Senator, a Representative,
and as a delegate to the Texas
Constitutional Convention in
1845.
In 1853, the Parker family
moved to Birdville in Tarrant
County. It was there that Isaac
purchased this double log home
connected by a breezeway
(dogtrot) from the Hamilton
Bennett family. During the
following years, Parker added
several rooms made of milled
lumber to the original log
structure.
Lucy, Isaac's wife, died in
1867, and he remarried at the
age of 76.
In 1872, Isaac Parker and his
second wife, Virginia Simms,
moved to Parker County, which
had been named in his honor.
He purchased land near
Weatherford and built a double
log home similar to the one in
Birdville. Four children were
born to Isaac and his second
wife. The old pioneer, soldier,
and law maker lived to be 91.
The Amon G. Carter
Foundation donated the
Parker’s Birdville home to the
Log Cabin Village. It is now
one of the oldest structures in
Tarrant County.
The Dogtrot Pioneer Air Conditioning
The Parker Cabin was built in a “dogtrot” style, so named for the covered
breezeway in the middle that allowed a dog to trot through. Other notable
features of this style include a long southern porch for summer shade and a
north/south orientation of the dogtrot to catch the prevailing winds. The
kitchen and the bedroom both have doors facing it. As the summer air
swept through the breezeway, it created a low pressure zone at the
doorway, and pulled air out of each room, creating a welcome breeze. Also,
building the kitchen on one side and the bedroom on the other kept the
daily cooking chores from heating up the sleeping quarters.
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Cynthia Ann Parker
As a result of a long territorial
dispute with the new settlers, a
band of Comanches with their
Kiowa allies attacked Fort Parker,
near Groesbeck, Texas, in 1836,
killing several and taking five
captives. Among those taken
were the niece and nephew of
Isaac Parker, 9-year-old Cynthia
Ann and her 6-year-old brother
Johnnie.
Many years later, there were
rumors of a blonde, blue-eyed
woman who was the squaw of
Nocona, a Comanche chief.
In 1860, Texas Rangers
captured a band of Indians near
the Pease River. Captives taken
by the Rangers during the battle
included a blue-eyed woman and
her child.
Word was sent to the
settlements about the capture,
and Isaac Parker went to
investigate. He interviewed the
woman with the aid of an
interpreter. He noted her
features and said, “She has the
appearance of my people. I
believe she is the long - lost
Cynthia Ann.” The woman
quietly patted her chest and said,
“Me Cynthia Ann.”
Parker brought Cynthia Ann
and her small daughter,
Topsannah, to his log house.
Accounts say that she would
wander off into the woods, and
pray to be reunited with her
husband, Nocona, and their two
sons, Pecos and Quanah.
She stayed only briefly with
Uncle Isaac before being sent to
other relatives in East Texas.
Topsannah died of pneumonia,
and Cynthia Ann never got over her
longing for Nocona, her sons, and
the Indian way of life. She died four
years a0er being recaptured. It is
said she died of a broken heart.
History & Acvity Guide
Home Sweet Home
Log Cabin Village contains log
structures, but 19th century
Texans lived in many different
types of homes! Texans in the
1800s resided in everything
from teepees to sod houses to
homes made from clay and
earth. They all had one thing in
common, though: the builders
made use of the resources that
were available to them.
The Marine Schoolhouse
On September 16, 2003 this one
room, board and batten structure
moved down the streets of Fort
Worth to its present location at
Log Cabin Village. The relocation
was a critical move for the
preservation of a historic structure
and a Fort Worth landmark.
Known as the Marine
Schoolhouse, it was originally
located in Fort Worth’s North Side
at 2000 N. Commerce Street. It
was built in 1872 to serve the
settlers’ children. Throughout the
1880s, it continued to be used as a
schoolhouse.
After a new elementary school
was built in 1889, the old school
was used as a community church
by various denominations. In
1904, it housed the four students
enrolled in North Fort Worth High
School.
When the community finally
outgrew the little building in 1906,
John Mulholland bought and
moved it to 1309 Commerce
Street, where it was used as a
residence throughout the early
1900s.
In 1991, the City of Fort Worth
condemned the weathered and
beaten structure. But a group of
preservation-minded
individuals, known as the
Friends of the Marine
Schoolhouse, rescued it from
certain destruction. On April
1993, the “Friends” moved the
building to 601 Park Street,
where it remained for ten years
until it was donated to the City
of Fort Worth for preservation
at the Log Cabin Village. The
Marine Schoolhouse stands
today as Fort Worth’s oldest
school still in existence.
Think about it:
•
•
Name as many different
types of 19th century Texas
homes as you can think of.
Who built them? Where
were they built?
What resources would YOU
use to build a home? Draw
or build a model of your
19th century dream home.
What’s for Lunch?
As a class project, prepare and hold a
pioneer picnic.
Before the event, discuss:
•
Pioneer School Program
This unique program offered at Log Cabin Village allows
students to experience an 1880s school day first hand. Their
class is held in the Marine Schoolhouse, an authentic 19th
century one-room school.
Students and classroom teacher arrive at the Village dressed in
1800s style clothing (optional) with their tin lunch pail, ready
to spend a full day stepping back in time.
Prior to the trip, the classroom teacher will receive a 52-page
booklet of 1880s lessons, costume and
lunch ideas, games for recess and much
more.
The day will end with an opportunity
for the class to tour the village and visit
with all of the Villagers.
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•
•
•
•
What did pioneer children take in
their lunches?
What kind of fruits, meats, breads,
etc. were available?
What did they drink? In what?
What was used to wrap their
food?
What did they carry their lunch to
school in?
Make lunch pails out of coffee or
other large cans, punching a hole on
each side to attach a rope handle.
Send the pails home with the student’s
list of possible pioneer lunches.
Hold a pioneer picnic outside under
a tree and discuss with your class what
pioneer children did for entertainment.
History & Acvity Guide
The Shaw Cabin
Thomas J. Shaw was born in 1819 in Tennessee. In 1845, he
married Louisa Ann Long. The couple then moved to Missouri. But
in 1851, they decided to move to Texas. They settled near the present
town of Paris for a brief period before moving back to a location near
Fort Smith, Arkansas.
In 1854, the wagons of the Reverend Pleasant Tackett, a Methodist
minister, and a group of families from Missouri
rolled into Fort Smith on their way to Texas.
The Shaw family joined them.
The 160-acre tract on which Thomas built
this cabin was located on what is now Shaw
Creek, on the extreme frontier. Not another
permanent Anglo settlement was west of his
cabin. Only five miles away, a large group of Tonkawa Indians were
camped along the Brazos River.
Shaw’s skill as a carpenter and house builder were widely known.
With his help, many inexperienced homesteaders were able to erect
log homes.
The Shaws were the parents of fourteen children, four of whom
died in infancy, a very common occurrence in the 19th century.
Louisa died in 1890 and Thomas in 1904.
Their cabin then served as a bunkhouse, then a barn, and finally as a
gristmill.
Corn Pone
Pre-heat oven and iron griddle to
400° F. Stir together the following
ingredients:
•
•
•
4 cups cornmeal
1 tbs. butter, melted
1 tsp. salt
Add enough cold water to make
soft dough . Mold into oval cakes
with hands. Place on a hot, wellgreased griddle. Bake until brown,
turning once.
Corn Tortillas
•
•
•
2 cups corn flour (masa harina)
1 1/3 cups cold water
1 tsp. Salt
Stir together ingredients. Cover and
let rest for 20 minutes. Shape dough
into 1 1/2 inch balls. Place dough ball
between two sheets of waxed paper
and roll out thin (or use tortilla
press). Cook tortillas on an
ungreased griddle or pan over
medium heat, 2 minutes on each side.
The Daily Grind
The Shaw Cabin is now a working gristmill. Gristmills were one of the most important places in any
frontier community. They produced the flour or cornmeal for making most of the staple foods of the
settlers' diet. Without mills, the grains had to be ground by hand on a mortar and pestle (molcajete y
mano,, a method that requires many hours of laborious work.
tejolote) or metate y mano
Mills however, produce large amounts of flour constantly and without much human effort. 19th
century mills were run by hydropower. Instead of electricity, running water from a nearby river or
stream provided the power.
The water wheel outside the mill rotates as each bucket on it becomes heavy with water. This wheel
is attached to another wheel inside the mill called the bull wheel. It turns with the movement of the
outer one and sets the belt attached to it in motion.
Corn poured into the funnel shaped hopper falls between two grinding stones found inside a
wooden enclosure. When the stones turn against each other through the motion of the belts, the corn
is crushed and delivered through a metal spout as fresh, golden cornmeal.
The milling equipment in this cabin was originally manufactured around 1860.
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History & Acvity Guide
The Tompkins Cabin
John Baptist Tompkins was born in Virginia in 1820. Early in his
youth the family moved westward, via Kentucky and Illinois.
In 1844, he married 17-year-old Sarah Harbison and they migrated
to Missouri where they ‘broke sod’ for their first crops. Four of their
children were born in Missouri.
Ever restless, Tompkins sold his Prosper County farm, and the
family turned their wagons toward Texas, arriving in Parker County
in 1857. There, the Tompkins rented the 120 acre Isaac Anderson
farm with this cabin. It was there that Sarah had five more children.
The sandy loam of Parker County produced an abundant and
lucrative crop for the family in 1858. John purchased the farm later
that year. In the years that followed, the Tompkins acquired
additional acreage and expanded the cabin into a considerable
dwelling place.
Like most log homes, their cabin had a loft where the children
slept. Legend has it that one night, Tompkins rushed out on his
horse to get a doctor who resided many miles away. While he was
away, Mrs. Tompkins spotted a band of Indians in the distance.
Realizing that they were stealing cattle, she grabbed the rifle and
rushed the kids up to the loft. She climbed in after them and closed
the trap door so that the entrance
to the second story was
concealed.
The Indians came in and
ransacked the cabin, but they
never realized there was an entire
family hiding in the loft. When
Tompkins got back, he found
some of his property gone, but
his most precious possession, his
family, was safe.
Candle and Soap Making
On the frontier, a family might
need to travel several
hours, or even days, to
get to the nearest town
or trading post. For
this reason, supplies
that were consumed
quickly, such as candles
and soap, had to be
made at home.
The main ingredient in these two
items was old cooking grease, lard
(hog fat), or tallow (cattle fat).
The fat removed from the animals
was placed in large cast iron pots.
Then, it was not merely melted, but
rendered by boiling. As the cooking
process broke down the fatty tissue,
the fibrous material rose to the
surface and was skimmed off. This
clean, liquid grease was what the
pioneers used to make the candles
and soap.
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Candles
Candle-making was
greasy and smelly. It
was also a time
consuming job that was usually
assigned to the pioneer children.
The first step would be to spin
cotton into candle wicking, but
when nothing was available, old
strips of cloth were used instead.
Then, the wicks were dipped
repeatedly into hot grease.
After each dip, the new thin
layer of fat was allowed to cool
and solidify on the wick so that
the candle grew in width with
each layer. Since the candles
were made of tasty animal fat,
they were buried or stored
safely away from rodents and
other animals.
Soap
Lye Soap is a simple
mixture of lye, water and
animal fat. Lye is a very
caustic, alkaline material,
but when combined with
fat, it produces a harmless,
yet effective soap.
The settlers made their own lye.
Water poured through wood ashes
would become liquid lye as it
dripped into a wooden bucket.
There are many recipes for
homemade soap. They all begin
with lye added to rendered animal
fat. As the mixture is stirred, it
becomes thick and creamy. It is
then poured into a box or mold to
set. A few days later, the soap is
cut into bars. Before it is used,
the mixture must cure for 2 to 4
weeks.
It has been said that “a good lye
soap will remove ring-around-the
collar, grass stains, and is a sure
cure for dandruff.”
History & Acvity Guide
The Blacksmith Shop
The blacksmith was critical
to village life. Blacksmiths
shaped and bent iron into
farm implements, hardware
and household items. As
roads developed, horseshoes
became more important.
Young men who wished to
learn the trade, would
apprentice with a blacksmith
for seven years. After that
time, they would receive a full
set of tools and clothing so
they could move on and open
their own shop.
On the frontier, many
pioneers had to do their own
blacksmithing. If a plow or
hinge broke, the pioneers
would have to fix it
themselves. The nearest
village or town with a
blacksmith was often a one or
two day ride away.
Did you know…
The phrase “dead as a door nail” means to be dead with no
chance of recovery. When building a cabin door,
carpenters o0en drove the nail through then bent it over
the other end so it couldn't work its way out during the
repeated opening and closing of the door. When it came
me to salvage the building, these door nails were
considered useless, or "dead" because of the way the nail
was bent.
The Pioneer Herb Garden
Nineteenth century Texans were very dependent on herbs for
cooking, medicines, hygiene and more. Mortars and pestles
were used to grind herbs into powders for tea and elixirs and
boiled for natural dyes. Lemon Verbena might be used to
make lemonade, rosemary could be burned to make the air
smell better, sage helped an upset stomach, and mint was
chewed to cure bad breath!
The Story of Log Cabin Village
Log Cabin Village is a living history museum located on 2 1/2 acres in Fort Worth’s Forest Park. The Village
depicts the life of pioneers who settled the North Central Texas frontier in the mid to late 1800s.
In the 1950s, six representative log cabins were selected from surrounding counties, moved to this site, and
restored by the Pioneer Texas Heritage Foundation and the Tarrant County Historical Society. They donated the
Village to the City of Fort Worth and it was opened to the public in 1966. The Foster Cabin was added in 1975,
and the Marine Schoolhouse arrived in 2003.
Today, the Village offers history programs for school children and special groups, hands-on activities for groups
and families, and walk through tours for general visitors.
Interpreters and craftsmen are City staff and volunteers.
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