McKee Cabin restoration under way thanks to WCPP grant and private donations

Thanks to a grant from the Warren County Philanthropic Partnership, along with a private donation by the family of Stewart Coon, the McKee Cabin has been leveled and its foundation repaired – phase one of a three-part restoration.

“We have some people who are very dedicated to the museum,” said Deb Larrison, president of the Warren County Historical Society, which is overseeing the project.

The McKee Cabin dates back to the 1850s and stood north of Indianola before it was moved in 1973 to its current location at the Warren County Historical Museum and Heritage Village, 1300 W. Second Ave.

Although it’s a favorite stop of museum visitors year-round, it draws an especially big crowd during Log Cabin Day. The annual festival is its namesake, the next installment coming this Saturday, Sept. 24.

About a year ago, the historical society had put out a call for community support to save the structure. It was settling into the ground, the chinking between the logs was breaking and falling out, and the thatched roof needed replaced.

Generous donations came in, but it was two sizeable checks this spring that truly allowed work to begin: the $14,715 grant from WCPP and the same amount from the Coon family.

“It was a 50-percent grant match,” explained Deb Taylor, past president of the historical society. “The first part was donated by a single individual – well, several individuals, but there was one specific that had half the funds – and Philanthropic donated the rest.”

That windfall of support allowed phase one of restoration to begin in May with Iowa Foundation Repair of Winterset doing the work. Pillars were installed under the cabin’s chimney and every six feet around the cabin to the point of resistance below the frost line.

“By doing this, the severe settling on the east side of the building will be corrected and further settlement avoided,” according to a written account of the project by the historical society.

Now that the cabin is on solid ground, the society is ready to move into phase two: replacing the cedar shake shingles. One of the main challenges of the project, besides funding, has been finding contractors with knowledge of old-time cabin construction.

As far as the roof goes, the historical society is drawing upon the skills of Amish builders.

“We’ve had it raised so it’s not sinking into the ground,” Larrison said of the cabin, “so the next step is an Amish gentleman will be out to put our roof on.”

The plan was to tackle that phase of the project around Log Cabin Day, she added, but the contractor was called away to repair roofs damaged by recent summer storms. While the society waits, they’re working on finalizing a contractor to take on phase three, the chinking.

“We are looking for someone able to do that type of thing,” Taylor said. “We think we have someone contacted who’s going to do it, but we haven’t finalized anything yet.”

Raising the funds to complete the restoration is the other order of business. According to Taylor, the roof is expected to cost around $9,000, while the chinking is unknown until the society receives an estimate.

"We definitely need more funding,” she said. “We are a nonprofit totally reliant on donations.”

To support the project, checks may be made out to the Warren County Historical Society and mailed to P.O. Box 256, Indianola, IA 50125. Be sure to write "McKee Cabin" in the memo.

To reach society members with questions or ideas, email contact@warrencountyhistory.org or call the museum at (515) 961-8085 during regular hours 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursdays or 9 a.m. to noon Saturdays.

Due to the restoration under way, the McKee Cabin won’t be open during the upcoming Log Cabin Day that it inspired. But visitors are invited to peek through its windows to catch a glimpse of Warren County’s past – and see how the cabin is now braced for the future.

“It really raised up and closed a lot of those holes that we had,” said Larrison, referring to gaping cracks between the logs and at the roofline. “Around the fireplace, where it was sinking, it looks wonderful.”