Buckner Homestead Historic District - Historic Structures

Historic Structures

The Buckner Homestead Historic District comprises 15 buildings, various landscape features, some old structural ruins, and approximately 50 acres (200,000 m2) of apple orchard which is irrigated by hand-dug ditches.

• The original William Buzzard Cabin was built in 1889. It was a one-story log cabin measuring 16 feet (4.9 m) by 18 feet (5.5 m). In 1910, Buzzard added over 23 feet (7.0 m) to the length of the cabin, making it 16 feet (4.9 m) by 42 feet (13 m). After purchasing the homestead, Buckner added a massive river-stone fireplace and chimney in 1911. The cabin has a stone and concrete floor, log walls, and a wood shake roof. The Buckner’s used the cabin as a primary residence until 1924, when it became a guest house. The National Park Service renovated the cabin in 1980, and stabilized the structure in 1999. The cabin is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Buckner Cabin.

• The Buckner homestead’s main residence was originally built in 1914 as a 12-foot (3.7 m) by 18-foot (5.5 m) summer sleeping cabin. The Buckner family added a 16-foot (4.9 m) by 18-foot (5.5 m) living room in 1915, and another bedroom and a large fireplace in 1921. A third bedroom and a kitchen were added in 1925. The National Park Service added a porch in 1983, and re-roofed the house 1975 and again in 1999. It is a wood-frame house on a stone and concrete foundation; the walls are weatherboard, and it has a metal roof.

• The Buckner homestead hay barn and workshop was built in 1949. It is a two-story building with a large hay loft and gable roof. The building’s footprint measures 21 feet (6.4 m) by 24 feet (7.3 m). It is a wood-frame structure on a concrete foundation with weatherboard siding and a metal roof. The main entrance is a large wood-panel sliding door on the north side of the building.

• The Buckner’s Milk House was built in 1916. It is a 6-foot (1.8 m) by 8-foot (2.4 m) one-story, wood-frame structure on a raised concrete foundation with an overhanging gable roof. The National Park Service rehabilitated the building in 1979.

• The "Delco House" provided electricity for the farm. Originally, built as a smokehouse in 1915, it was converted to house the Delco power generator in 1925. It is a one-story, wood-frame structure on a 4-foot (1.2 m) by 8-foot (2.4 m) concrete foundation. The building has weatherboard siding and a wooden shake roof.

• The farm’s wood and harness shed was built in 1950. It is a one-story, log-frame structure on a concrete foundation with a wooden gabled roof. The building measure 12 feet (3.7 m) by 20 feet (6.1 m). The National Park Service replaced the shed roof in 1980, and accomplished addition preservation work in 2005.

Other buildings on the Buckner farm include a sleeping house, tool and equipment sheds, root cellar, chicken coops, outhouse, and a children’s play house. The Buckner’s swimming pool is included on the National Park Services inventory of structures, however, it is kept empty for safety reasons. Old farm equipment, like the Buckner's 1911 Hercules Stump Puller and several farm trucks, are also on display. The National Park Service maintains the Buckner’s orchard, harvesting its apples every fall.