Town & Country Historical Society seeks funding to preserve log cabin

On Nov. 26, the Town & Country Board of Aldermen gave Alderman Skip Mange (Ward 1) the green light to enter into a license and indemnity agreement with Brent and Emily Spicuzza for the removal of a log cabin from their property located at 13348 Conway Road.

When the Board passed this ordinance it allowed for the disassembly, move and storage of the log cabin to Drace Park located slightly east of Interstate 270 and south of Clayton Road.

There it will remain in protected storage until further funds and grants from local, state and national historical preservation societies are secured to rebuild it.

“It will take a year to find funding and research grants,” Mange said. “It is a lot more expensive to rebuild than it is to tear it down.”

While the Board facilitated the move, funding for the preservation of the historical cabin will not be provided by the city and will instead be raised from private donations. The historical society is currently raising funds to cover the cost of the removal and storage.

Mange, as president of the Town & Country Historical Society, a nonprofit 501c3 organization, is continuing the campaign to raise $12,000 for the preservation of the 1854 log cabin that once belonged to George Oge, the area’s first postmaster.

The cabin, which was featured in West Newsmagazine on July 5 (“Town & Country home houses historical treasures,” now online at newsmagazinenetwork.com), consists of two rooms, one up and one down connected by ladders.

Mange shared that adding the Oge cabin to the existing two cabins in Drace Park will create a unique historical setting for education and enjoyment by residents of all ages.

“We have to [raise the money for disassembly] in the next week, by the 15th of December,” Mange emphasized.  “We want this to be a source of community pride and a way for community members to take a step back in time.”

Tax deductible donations to help preserve the cabin can be sent to the Town & Country Historical Society, 13525 Clayton Road, Town & Country, MO 63131. Learn more at tandchs.org.