It’s just 17 feet square, made of old logs with a curling split shingle roof. Heat and cooking come from a stone fireplace, light from the window or a candle. There are no furnishings. Yet, this small cabin was home to history – from the man who used it for his U.S. Congressional office to the books he wrote detailing the history of Bates and Cass Counties. Simply called the “Atkeson cabin”, it is the focus of a major restoration program being undertaken by the Marais des Cygnes Society. Today, the cabin was moved from its location just off the Butler Square to the edge of a pine grove at Poplar Heights Living History Farm in central Bates County.
William Oscar Atkeson was born in West Virginia in 1854. He went on to serve as a U.S. Congressman from Missouri. Along the way he graduated college, taught school, became a lawyer, owned several newspapers, wrote history books and novels, and served on several state commissions. He is most known, however, for his History of Bates and Cass County. Written in 1918 in this log cabin, originally located on a creek just south of Butler, Missouri, it has become the premier source for western Missouri history and genealogy.
“This is an important part of western Missouri’s heritage and we are pleased we are able to rescue and preserve this historic cabin”, said Brian Phillips, Executive Director of the Marias des Cygnes society. “We are fortunate to have engaged The Patton House Moving Company, well known for their work on historic properties, to move the cabin. Now that it is at Poplar Heights Farm, we will begin a summer long restoration program on the cabin. We want to thank the many individuals, especially Kenneth Meyer husband of Jane Atkeson, and the area clubs who donated funds for this important project.” Phillips also said that the Atkeson Cabin will be used as a focal point for teaching visitors about the history of Bates County and the man who did so much to preserve her history. Plans are also underway to begin literacy programs for area elementary level students which would focus on reading education utilizing historic figures from the area’s past.
Thanks to Brian Phillips and Bates County Live
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Moving a Piece of History
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