Waynoka Station & Log Cabin - Open House...

by - Sandie Olson

The restoration of the pioneer log cabin at Waynoka Station has been completed! The Waynoka Historical Society invites everyone interested in seeing the beautifully and meticulously restored three room cabin to attend the Ribbon Cutting and Open House on Thursday, July 27, 2006, at 10 a.m. The log cabin is at "Waynoka Station" at the corner of Waynoka Street and Cleveland Street, two blocks west of Main Street on the BNSF Transcon rail line.

The cabin was built of cedar logs by Joseph Barnett in about 1904 not far from the Cimarron River in the Ziegler community, which was about 8 miles southeast of Waynoka, Oklahoma. Joseph and his wife, Wealthy Ann, had six children. Most or all were grown by the time Joseph and Annie moved into the log house. Joseph was a direct descendent of Thomas Allen White of "Boston Tea Party" fame. Joseph's mother was a cousin of Abraham Lincoln. Wealthy Ann Brown Barnett's ancestry goes back to 1720 in Myrickville, Massachusetts.

The log cabin was given to the Waynoka Historical Society by Jeryl Hutchison in the 1980s. In June, 2002, community volunteers and Chesapeake Energy Corporation employees from their Waynoka office dismantled the cabin and moved it to the Society's property near the Santa Fe Depot. The property had been donated by Charlene and Bill Bixler.

It was early in 2005 before work began on the reconstruction of the cabin. Bill Buckley, Waynoka, agreed to take on the job. Bill is a carpenter with a lot of experience building houses, and a deep appreciation for history. His main helper was his cousin, Ray Nutter. The logs and the native rocks from the cabin's foundation were all that remained from the original log cabin. The roof and flooring were gone, but the angle of the roof was salvaged. Historical society members had taken dozens of photographs of the details of the cabin. Thanks to the photos, the placement of the individual logs could be identified. A few logs had to be replaced. Bill donated some that he had which were already cured and ready for use. Those logs also provided the needed cedar lumber for the doors and window frames. A curator from Ft. Supply provided a recipe for the chinking. Material from several old houses in Waynoka was salvaged for floors and the kitchen ceiling. The work progressed slowly but surely. The restoration of the cabin was finished in the spring of 2006.

In the interim between the moving of the logs and the rebuilding, Waynoka Historical Society president Sandie Olson saw the name of Joseph Barnett in the "Okie Legacy", and recognized the name from the abstract of the property where the log cabin had stood. She contacted Charles Cook who had submitted some family history with the Barnett name to the Legacy. Charlie was thrilled with the discovery that his great-grandparents' log cabin was being restored. Charlie knew of the cabin's existence, but did not expect to ever find it. They've made plans to attend the Open House. Several other family members have come to see the progress, and the historical society hopes that they can return to see the restored cabin.

Daryal Toellner, a professional interpreter from Old Town in Wichita, will be at the Open House, portraying Joseph Barnett. The restored Section Foreman's House from Edith, Oklahoma, on the Buffalo Northwestern Railroad is next to the cabin, and will be open for touring. The Waynoka History Museum on the second floor of the Harvey House will be open as well. Admission will be free in honor of the occasion. The Gift Shop on the first floor of the Harvey House will also be open. The Museum is accessible by elevator. The restaurant in the restored Harvey House opens at 11 a.m. It's a treat to watch the many trains going by on the Transcon.

Coffee and muffins will be served at the Ribbon Cutting and Open House. Everyone is encouraged to join the festivities.
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