Flower Mound: Will historic cabin stay at original home?

A 4.33-acre parcel of land at situated at the southeast corner of Quail Run and Flower Mound roads could eventually be home to 12 homes, and one extra hidden treasure.

A log cabin dating back to the 1860s was discovered inside the walls of a house currently standing, facing Flower Mound Road. It has yet to be determined if the cabin will be preserved at its current location, of if it would be moved, said Poornima Srinarasi, senior planner with the Town of Flower Mound.

Mary King owned the house wrapping the historic cabin from 1978 until February, when she sold it to Curtis Grant of Vaquero Development, who is developing the parcel.

“Mr. Grant was told that there was a log cabin within the front living room walls,” she said. “He explained that he wanted to incorporate the stone from the original fireplace into the entrance of the development.”

This slice of North Texas history, built with the sweat and tears of a man from Missouri, was on the chopping block, standing on land having been purchased for development.

It’s nestled neatly into the entryway of the 4,500-square-foot farmhouse.

The property was part of a Republic of Texas Land Grant that was patented in 1854 by William Gibson. The original survey was for 360 acres and the cabin is a one room structure measuring approximately 16’ x 16’, which is the minimal size structure required to perfect the land grant, according to Mark Glover, local historian.

Monday evening, the town planning & zoning commission approved a request for Vaquero’s plans to create a residential subdivision called Liberty Park.

“When we bought the house from Peggy Totten Crosby she had told us about the log cabin,” King said. “We removed several layers of siding in the 1980s and revealed the logs on the outside before we resided the house.

“The original thatched roof could also be seen in the attic. We also sealed up a door in 1979 that led into one of the bedrooms from the living area and found several pieces of newspapers dated 1903 and also old burlap bags that we assumed was used for insulation apparently placed there when they added that room on to the log cabin.”

The Flower Mound Foundation has proposed that the developer sell three lots of his 12-lot subdivision to the Foundation, and/or an assigned entity. The cabin will be restored to original stature, on the site it was built on in 1860, said Marilyn Lawson, a member of the foundation.