the turner log cabin museum
donated by walter & lena hecht
Robert Turner was in the first group of settlers in Pawnee County, coming here with Christian Bobst in 1854. This cabin was the home of Turner, his wife Mary, and their children. It was originally located 18 miles south of Table Rock, near Dubois.
Over the years, it had been encased in various added rooms so that the cabin was no longer evident. The house was abandoned for years.
After Walter & Lena Hecht offered the cabin to the Historical Society, members joined in to go get it. Floyd Vrtiska recalls that when they arrived, one of the men who had come to help asked where the cabin was. Floyd pointed at the old house. "It's there. You'll see it soon enough."
They stripped the structure off the cabin, disassembled the cabin, and brought it to its present location.
Each piece of the structure was marked so that it could properly be reassembled. Unfortunately, the markings were in chalk, and it rained before they could reassemble the building. Those involved describe, with good humor, the difficulties in figuring out what was there. They experimented a log at a time. They succeeded, as you can see when you visit the cabin across from the northwest corner of the Square.
Over the years, it had been encased in various added rooms so that the cabin was no longer evident. The house was abandoned for years.
After Walter & Lena Hecht offered the cabin to the Historical Society, members joined in to go get it. Floyd Vrtiska recalls that when they arrived, one of the men who had come to help asked where the cabin was. Floyd pointed at the old house. "It's there. You'll see it soon enough."
They stripped the structure off the cabin, disassembled the cabin, and brought it to its present location.
Each piece of the structure was marked so that it could properly be reassembled. Unfortunately, the markings were in chalk, and it rained before they could reassemble the building. Those involved describe, with good humor, the difficulties in figuring out what was there. They experimented a log at a time. They succeeded, as you can see when you visit the cabin across from the northwest corner of the Square.
Turner descendant George Turner stands in front of the 1854 Turner Cabin.
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Alexandra Beals of Gladstone, Missouri, visiting in March 2018.
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Kyle Wopata sits in great grandma Barbara Beranek's chairs on display at the Turner Cabin. 2017.
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the settlement of pawnee county -- robert turner and three other men
were the first
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Robert Turner was one of the first four settlers in Pawnee County; they arrived together in 1854. The men: Christian Bobst, George Bobst, Joseph Fries -- and Robert Turner. Here is the history of the men's arrival in Pawnee County, as taken from GenealogyTrails.com. Here is a link to the full history.
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the history of the turner cabin as compiled by the
table rock historical society
original location of the cabin
Map of the original location south of Dubois near Cincinnati, now a ghost town:
the cabin at the time the table rock historical society stepped up
The encased cabin as seen at the original site:
