Castle Rock group scrambles to save historic log cabin
Tuesday, November 7, 2006 6:45 AM PST
By Staff
Printable version
E-mail this articleCASTLE ROCK --- Volunteers have begun a fund-raiser to save the historic cabin that has been a part of the Castle Rock Fairgrounds since 1975.
Cathy Cgraggen and Marti Boshart, who are heading up the "Save the Log Cabin" committee, are urging people to "buy a log" to help pay for restoration. Logs go for $50 each and donations are tax-deductible.
The historic cabin --- once a post office and store in Toutle --- needs to be restored or it will be closed or demolished, Cgraggen said.
"The foundation is pretty much gone and the floor has rotted and it's in pretty bad condition," she said. Rotted logs must be replaced and chinking and electrical work done as well. Restoration will require about $35,000. The committee has a log cabin contractor in mind who is willing to work with volunteers, which will reduce the cost, Cgraggen said.
In addition to holding fund-raisers and seeking other donations, the fair's Save the Log Cabin Committee is writing grants.
When Napoleon Bonaparte Gardner settled in Toutle in 1882, he first built a store and livery stable, then added a blacksmith. A year later, Gardner opened Toutle's first post office. One or another part of the Gardner family operated it for 110 years, then donated the log cabin to the fairgrounds in Castle Rock, according to the cabin committee's research. It has been well-used there since 1975 as a unique place for antique exhibits and educational activities and displays for children and adults, Cgraggen said.
She and Boshart would know: They are longtime volunteers at the cabin. Now they're helping with fund-raisers and grant applications, speaking at community organizations, developing Powerpoint presentations and developing and distributing flyers.
"We're trying to preserve this little piece of history," Cgraggen said.
Castle Rock Fair
Save the Log Cabin Committee
P.O. Box 655
Castle Rock, WA 98611
Contacts: Cathy Cgraggen, 274-7841. Marti Boshart, 274-4320
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