The Bella Vista Historical Museum has taken the first steps toward acquiring its largest exhibit yet, a 16-by 16-foot log cabin built in Bella Vista more than a century ago.
Xyta Lucas, president of the Bella Vista Historical Society, said the cabin was donated by Scott Butler, who currently lives on the Pease Drive property where the cabin sits, down a hill and behind the house.
The Bella Vista Historical Society board voted Wednesday, March 14, to accept the cabin and to use it as a pioneer exhibit on the north side of the museum grounds.
The cabin has sat on the lot since 1979, Lucas said. According to a Weekly Vista article published April 29, 1987, it was moved by Bella Vista resident Paul Parish, a history aficionado and self-taught wood sculptor.
The structure, which initially was located in the Highlands area was set to be demolished by Cooper Communities. After Parish requested it, the compact structure was dismantled by Cooper Communities, with the logs numbered for easier reassembly. Parish reportedly stated it took him about a year to put the house back together.
Once it was back together, the Vista article reported that Parish used it as something of a miniature museum, displaying various artworks and historical artifacts.
Butler came into possession of the property more recently and he bought it in part, he said, because he thought the old cabin might make a good playhouse for the children -- though they were disinterested in it. Junk has accumulated since then, he said, and, after speaking to historical society members, he decided to donate it.
"I hated to see it set there in that backyard and be neglected," he said.
It should make an interesting exhibit, he said, though he doesn't need much recognition. A simple plaque or note showing it, he said, should be fine.
The tiny house was built by the Cooper family -- no relation to Cooper Communities -- in 1912, according to the Vista article, and served as a home for two parents and eight children -- though Lucas said she was only able to confirm seven kids.
Lucas said the house was previously two stories, with a sleeping loft over the main floor, but that was blocked off when the new roof was constructed. The house had a heating stove for the winter, she said.
Moving it, she said, will be a significant project. Lucas said she's spoken with movers already, who have given an estimate of $4,000 to move the structure without dismantling it. Essentially, she said, they will remove some smaller trees and take a trailer down the hill next to the structure before raising it on beams and moving it to the trailer.
But that won't be the end of the expenses.
Board member Carole Harter said the museum will need to replace at least one damaged log on the back, in addition to figuring out what sort of foundation the house needs. The cabin will also need smoke alarms and a surveillance system, she said, and the museum's insurance rates may be affected.
The board agreed to begin fundraising immediately. The museum will offer recognition for anyone who makes a donation of more than $100 and will have a fundraising event titled Cabin Fever at the Artist Retreat Center on Sunday, May 6.
Board member Chuck Pribbernow said that, while this is certainly a substantial project, he's excited to see where it goes.
"I'm envisioning it as a representation of that period and furnishing it with period pieces," he said. "I would like to have something where people can walk in and say, 'Oh, this is what it looked like.'"
General News on 03/21/2018