Dignitaries from the city of Grapevine, Grapevine Chamber of Commerce and family members of George and Elizabeth Ann Bushong took part in unveiling a renovated log cabin May 17 in a dedication ceremony.
A log cabin that dates back to 1858 has a new address moved from its former location at 1610 Silverside Drive to 201 S. Main St., next to the Torian Cabin in Liberty Park Plaza in July 2024.
“It’s been a 167-year journey that ends today at Liberty Park, its final resting place,” Grapevine Mayor William D. Tate said, who is a cousin of the original owners of the cabin.
What happened?
The Grapevine Convention & Visitors Bureau restored the cabin to its former life with an 1800s era roof, windows, floor, fireplace and a replicated shed at the back of the cabin.
The Grapevine Heritage Foundation and proceeds from annual events such as Main Street Fest and GrapeFest helped raise the funds for the purchase of the log cabin, according to a news release.
A historical marker was unveiled during the ceremony.
The background
The Bushong Cabin was built by George Emanuel Bushong, one of the early settlers in town that came from Tennessee, according to a news release. Bushong played a key role in many things in the community, from starting the first cotton gin, a sawmill, a flour mill, teaching at Grape Vine Prairie school and founding the Grapevine National Bank, according to a news release.
The Bushong had 13 children and lived in this cabin through having eight children before moving, said Paul W. McCallum, executive director of the Grapevine CVB. He said they later moved to a two-story cabin where the Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center property now exists.
In 1990, Ron and Jean Vice helped preserve the cabin, according to a news release.
Tate said that George Bushong moved to Grapevine when he was 22 years old and two years later, he joined Texas’ contingent in the Civil War for five years. When he returned, he would later marry Elizabeth Perkins.
Quote of Note
“This structure is significant, and so through several ownerships, it caused people to respect the building, to continue to enjoy it, embrace it,” McCallum said. “Only up until a few years ago did it become uninhabited, and that's the thing that is so magnificent about this little structure, is that it was inhabited through the majority of its life.”
