Kyle, Claiborne, Log House - U.S. National Register of Historic Places on Waymarking.com

About four miles south of Kyle, TX to 1200 Old Stagecoach Road. There is a red background street sign for "Claiborne Kyle Log House". The gate is only open from sometime in the spring until late September. Tours and other events are available during this time period. Otherwise, it's a 1/3 mile walk on the grassy country lane to the cabin, which is protected by a high chain fence.

Per the NRHP application:
The Claiborne Kyle Log House is a rare example of frontier architecture of Texas. The one story, 80' x 20' log house occupies a wooded bluff in rural Hays County. Constructed in 1850 of hand-dazed cedar logs approximately 10" square, square-notched at the corners, and secured by wooden pegs, the house features logs that were probably crafted by slave labor and hauled from Bastrop (45 miles away), since there was no cedar in this area until the 1860's. In the construction of this four room structure limestone and caliche chinking were used. Under a common roof, a 10'6" dog trot opens between two double-room pens; the rooms of each section were divided by a huge stone fireplace. Ordinarily, all four rooms of a log house adjoin the dog trot, but in the Kyle house they are all in a line. The original roof was cedar shingle but it was replaced with tin in 1928.

In order to protect the property from further vandalism the Claiborne Kyle Log House Commission recently had it enclosed by a 200' x 100' chain link fence. Note that the property has had extensive renovation, thus in much better shape than shown in the NRHP application photograph.

Colonel John Claiborne Kyle and his wife, Lucy Bugg, both natives of Tennessee, left Hinds County, Mississippi, on the ship "New York" and landed at Port Lavaca in 1844. Making the trip with their parents were nine children under the age of twelve. Also with the family was an undetermined number of slaves.

From the log home five sons were sent to war in 1861 to serve the Confederate cause. Each day during the conflict their mother went to a spring about a hundred yards from the house and prayed that her sons would return safely. All five brothers returned, but their mother had died on June 26, 1863. Ferguson Kyle was ten years of age when he came to Texas with his parents and settled on the Blanco. At the beginning of the Civil War, Kyle enlisted as a private in the Eighty Texas Cavalry, Terry's Rangers. After the battle of Shish he became a captain and acted as aide to General Cheetah. William, Polk, Curran and Andrew Jackson Kyle were privates in their brother's company.

Captain Kyle returned home in 1864, engaged in farming and stock raising, and was elected to the Twelfth Legislature. During the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Legislatures he served as Sergeant-at-Arms. The nearby town was named for him.

Street address: 1200 Old Stagecoach Road Kyle, TX USA 78640 County / Borough / Parish: Hays County Year listed: 1981 Historic (Areas of) Significance: Person, Event, Information Potential, Architecture/Engineering Periods of significance: 1850-1874 Historic function: Domestic Current function: Vacant/Not In Use Privately owned?: no Season start / Season finish: From: 05/01/2014 To: 09/30/2014 Primary Web Site: [Web Link] Hours of operation: Not listed Secondary Website 1: Not listed Secondary Website 2: Not listed National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
Please give the date and brief account of your visit. Include any additional observations or information that you may have, particularly about the current condition of the site. Additional photos are highly encouraged, but not mandatory.

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