How we got here
The historic structure was encapsulated in a 1950s ranch house when it was discovered in 2015 by developer Curtis Grant, said Peggy Riddle, director of the Denton County Office of History and Culture. Grant removed sheet rock from walls in the living room of the structure to find logs that made up the original 16-feet-by-16-feet house that was once home to a man named William Gibson.
Core samples of the logs and remaining chinking later determined they had been cut some time between 1857 and 1860, Riddle said. Records also showed the property had been a land grant from the Republic of Texas. It was settled by Gibson, who was the first resident of the home. The home was expanded as lifestyles changed over the years.
Before he discovered the historic nature of the structure, Grant had plans to demolish it and subdivide the property into residential lots. He contacted the Denton County Office of History and Culture to report what he found. The office, along with the University of Arkansas Tree-Ring Laboratory, determined it was likely built by settlers who came to Texas as part of the Peters Colony, the earliest settlement in Denton County.
What happened?
The town of Flower Mound acquired the property in 2015, creating a master plan for the home’s restoration in 2018. Work began in 2020 to restore the house to its Phase 3 period, or triple-pen form with back extensions, retaining the early historic changes to the original single-pen house. In this form, the evolution of early Texas houses on the frontier is on display.
As part of the restoration, the town removed concrete and gravel driveways, regraded the site to improve drainage, and removed board and batten siding and plywood, as well as other non-historic features.
What else?
Chuck Jennings, Flower Mound’s director of parks and recreation, said now the property is maintained by his department while Denton County furnishes the house and assists with volunteer recruitment, training and staffing. The Gibson-Grant Log House is currently in need of more volunteers, Jennings said.
Some items on display came from Dallas’ Old City Park and other properties in Flower Mound, said Jacque Narrell, chair of the town’s historical commission. Narrell is also a Denton County Historical commissioner. Residents can donate historic items to be put on display in the house.
“What you see today is with the help of the town, private citizens and the Texas Historic Commission,” Riddle said.
