Gibson-Grant Log House

Duane's take

The way I tell it, I'm going by what the official marker says, so let's set the record straight right here in Denton County. Back in 1861, a Tennessee man named William Gibson and his wife Rebecca, born a Wallis, raised up a house on this Texas ground. William had come into the world back in 1801, Rebecca around 1810, and by the time they set to building, they had four youngest children to shelter under one roof.

Now this was not a grand plantation manor. This was a sixteen-foot-by-sixteen-foot log house, every side of it exactly that. Square, honest, and built to last.

The logs were hand-crafted native post oak, cut into timber planks, fitted flush with half-dovetail notching, and the gaps filled in with chinking. Somebody knew what they were doing. William did not live long to enjoy the place.

He passed in 1865, and not long after, the house was sold. Amanda Gay took it in 1870, William Kerr in 1890, Marion Hackler in 1937, and on down through many other hands over the long years. Now here is the part of the story that'll catch in your throat a little.

At some point, somebody looked at this old house and decided it was done. Scheduled for demolition. Gone.

Except, before the crews moved in, testing was done, and what that testing revealed was the true age and nature of what was standing there, a genuine log house hiding underneath layers of additions that had been piled on over the decades. Restoration work began. The additions came off, one by one, until the original design breathed again.

And that stone chimney, the original one, had been there the whole time, waiting to be seen. Rebecca Gibson, who lived on until around 1885, might have smiled at that. The house she and William raised in 1861 is still standing.

Turned out the demolition crew never got their chance.

What the marker says

This 1861 log house, measuring 16 feet on each side, was built as a family home by Tennessee natives William (1801-1865) and Rebecca (Wallis) Gibson (c. 1810-c. 1885) and their four youngest children. The logs are hand-crafted native post oak, cut into timber planks flush with half-dovetail notching and filled with chinking. After William's death, it was sold to Amanda Gay (1870), William Kerr (1890) and Marion Hackler (1937), and many other owners. The home was scheduled for demolition until testing revealed its age and nature as a log house. Restoration included removal of several additions to reveal the original design. The home features the original stone chimney. RECORDED TEXAS HISTORIC LANDMARK - 2023