Settler's Cabin
Our old Settler’s Cabin was built by Christopher Columbus (C.C.) Cooper on property he bought in 1912, which is now part of the city of Bella Vista. The site is just past the current Highlands gate, at the intersection of Highlands Blvd., Glasgow, and Timbercrest Lane. By the time C.C Cooper bought that property, he had been married 9 years and already had four children, so after building the cabin, he soon added on to it until it was a good sized house.
In 1974, when John Cooper (no relation) of Cooper Communities was getting ready to develop the Highlands, Paul Parish saw the structure and asked if he could have it. It was disassembled and the logs from the cabin portion were moved to Parish’s property near Lake Avalon. After Parish died in 1997, his daughter sold the property to Scott & Angie Butler who decided in 2018 to donate the cabin to the Bella Vista Historical Museum. It was moved to the museum grounds in March, 2019.
C.C. Cooper and one of his granddaughters
The original cabin was added onto to provide a lot more space. You can see the original cabin wall on the right side of it.
Moving the cabin to the museum grounds in March, 2019
Click on the picture to go to a YouTube video of the move - courtesy of Dustie Meads
The cabin after it was placed on the foundation
The foundation was faced with native stone, the front porch was replaced and a new roof put on
The cabin exterior as it appears today. A split rail fence was added, too.
Mary Jane and Bill Cole acted as hosts for the cabin during the Grand Opening on October 27, 2019
The interior was decorated by Carol Phillips with donated furnishings. Due to the size of the cabin, it is set up as the home of a single man.
John Bozarth built a campfire pit behind the cabin and Dave Martens used it to cook food for the October 27, 2019 Grand Opening.