Grapevine moves 166-year-old Bushong Cabin as preservation effort begins
Grapevine has started a preservation project to save the historic Bushong Log Cabin.
This structure, built in 1858 by George Emanuel Bushong near the current site of the Gaylord Texan, was moved Friday to Liberty Park Plaza on Main Street. Construction is expected to begin soon to restore the cabin.
Over the years, the main cabin was integrated into a larger house. The Grapevine Convention & Visitors Bureau extracted the original cabin from the newer construction, preserving its authentic parts for display.
“These days it seems like people are so quick to tear historic buildings down, but they don’t have to do that because there are opportunities to save and preserve our history for future generations to understand where we came from,” said Elizabeth Schrack, a spokesperson for the Grapevine Convention & Visitors Bureau.
The cabin will sit next to the Torian Cabin on Main Street in Grapevine. The Torian Cabin, built in 1845 in the Lonesome Dove Community, is the oldest home in Tarrant County. Named after the Torian family, who resided there from 1886 until the 1940s, the cabin was saved from demolition in the 1970s through Grapevine’s intervention, with the structure being moved and rebuilt at its current location.
George Emanuel Bushong arrived in Grapevine from Bance, Tennessee, in the fall of 1858. He built and operated the first cotton gin in the Grapevine area, constructed a sawmill and flour mill, and taught in the newly settled Grape Vine Prairie. He also founded the Grapevine National Bank and served as its first president. He and his wife, Elizabeth Ann, had 13 children.
The restoration of the Bushong Log Cabin will return the structure to its original 1858 appearance, complete with an attached rear shed.
