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Community Corner

City Park Log Cabins Recently Listed In The National Register Of Historic Places

Two log cabin structures currently located in upper City Park have been listed in the National Register of Historic Places. 

The single-room cabin, constructed in 1889 by the Old Settlers' Association, was originally built as an exhibit for Johnson County's Semi-Centennial. It stood on two successive Johnson County Fairgrounds sites until it was moved to City Park in 1918. The double log cabin, or dogtrot log house, was built in 1913 of hewn oak logs donated by Old Settlers' members. It was designed to serve as a replica of an early trading post, the City's historic John Gilbert Trading Post. 

Informally organized in 1840 and formally established in 1866, the Old Settlers' Association of Johnson County was likely the oldest such pioneer group in Iowa. The group's continued efforts to preserve log building traditions were acknowledged by other historical groups in the state as early models for local commemoration activities. 

Through the years, the City Park log cabins have been used for many programs and activities -- a pioneer museum, class field trips, Girl Scout cookouts and overnights, and as a Children's Museum. For the past 25 years, the cabins have been relatively unused and are now in need of restoration. The Parks and Recreation Foundation has begun fundraising to restore the cabins, the cost of which is estimated at around $100,000, which will include repairs to the roof and foundation, replacement of some of the logs, and overall exterior conditioning.

Photos of the cabins are available at http://tinyurl.com/CityParklogcabins. For more information contact Joyce Carroll at 319-356-5223 or joyce-carroll@iowa-city.org.

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