Morrell Log Cabin

After Restoration (2023)

The Honor Award for the restoration of the Morrell Log Cabin in Tomlinson Hill, Texas was presented to Gail and Steve Palmore on behalf of the Old Settlers and Veterans Association of Falls County at Preservation Texas’s Central Texas Regional Preservation Summit in San Marcos on September 21, 2023. 

Presented every other year, Preservation Texas Honor Awards recognize outstanding efforts to restore, preserve, rehabilitate or reconstruct historic places that have been individually included on Preservation Texas's Most Endangered Places list or relate to a previous statewide thematic endangered listing. This year’s Honor Awards celebrate the remarkable efforts made by individuals, organizations, and communities to rehabilitate once imperiled historic places, breathing new life into cherished structures while honoring their historical significance and architectural integrity.

From Left to Right: Kate Johnson, Board of Directors, Preservation Texas; Gail Palmore, Old Settlers and Veterans Association of Falls County; Steve Palmore, Old Settlers and Veterans Association of Falls County; Samantha Hunick, Central Texas Program Officer, Preservation Texas

The Old Settlers and Veterans Association of Falls County was chartered in 1911 with the goals of memorializing Civil War comrades and honoring Falls County pioneers. In 1912, the group acquired a 17-acre permanent reunion ground in Tomlinson Hill. In 1936, a historic log house was moved to the Association’s grounds for the Texas Centennial celebration. Built circa 1840 by early Texas settler, Allen Morrell, the Morrell Log Cabin was originally located in the community of Stranger, east of Marlin.

Log buildings were included on the Most Endangered Places List in 2016 as a statewide endangered theme, as they often fall victim to neglect and decay due to the elements. No exception, the Morrell Log Cabin had become severely deteriorated over the decades. The sills were buried, the roof had mostly collapsed, and there was no chinking left between the logs. In recent years, the Old Settlers and Veterans Association was able to raise the funds necessary to save the structure, and in 2023, restoration of the Morrell Log Cabin was completed. It will survive for years to come to be experienced by many future generations of Texans.

Before Restoration (2022)

Interior Before Restoration (2022)