Doyle Tatum's Log Cabin blog post
Professor Pearce Lester (P.L.) Elkins was awarded a $75.00 prize for his forestry presentation. With the money, he proposed letting the Future Farmers of America (FFA) students build a log cabin on the site of old Milton High School. The Cabin was built during the 1934-1935 school year and is one of only two remaining FFA-constructed log cabins still in use today in the United States.
The Cabin was a hands-on project that involved the entire community. Alpharetta merchants contributed needed supplies to help complete the project. The students cut and hauled donated pine trees to the Cabin site. The foundation was laid using rocks provided by farmers and cement supplied by local merchants. The Cabin was originally an FFA clubhouse and also served as a central meeting place for the community for meetings, dances, parties, weddings and suppers. The only construction help the FFA boys received was in building the chimney. Almost all these boys grew up and were part of the "Greatest Generation" who served our country in WWII. Only two of the FFA members who built the log cabin survive until restoration was started in 2017, George Jones and John Marvin Dorris; both in their late ninties died before the completion. In addition Billy Bates, old Milton County unofficial historian, who built the well house and other outbuildings at the log cabin site survived until 2021, but died before the open house October 16, 2021.
The
Fulton County School System has built a beautiful new STEM high
school on the site of the Old Milton County High School.
Initial plans for the new school called for the FFA Log Cabin
to be demolished and removed from the site. When School Board
members were made aware of the community's love of this very special
structure, the Board agreed to relinquish ownership of the Cabin to
the City of Alpharetta if the City would agree to relocate the Log
Cabin and clear the site by December 31, 2017.
In
June, 2017, an agreement between the Fulton County Schools and the
City of Alpharetta was finalized. The City agreed to provide
land for the Cabin in park property at 210 Milton Ave that was
previous home of Carrol and Louise Beavers, both long time teachers
at old Milton. Alpharetta also contributed $50,000 toward its
relocation. The Alpharetta Convention and Visitors Bureau also
contributed $15,000 toward the project. The Alpharetta and Old
Milton County Historical Society agreed to raise the additional
funding needed to move and restore the log cabin, to assume
management of the relocation project, and to manage all future uses
of the cabin.
Jim
Spruell, a retire System engineer and Treasurer of the Historical
Society, volunteered to serve as project manager. Jim recruited
Jack Morton, retired owner of Morton Construction Company, to serve
as General Contractor at no cost. Jim and Jack are first
cousins and both are Milton High alumni. Their common uncle
Felton Spruell was one of the Milton High students who constructed
the Log Cabin back in the 1930s. Jack with his Morton
Construction Company built many houses and businesses in Alpharetta
area since 1965, so Jack was able to find several subcontractors who
were fellow Milton alumni, that agreed to work on the project at
reduced rates. Architect Tracy Ward agreed to provide his
services at reduced rate. However Jack did not survive
cancer operation in 2020 and his son Ken Morton, president of Morton
Construction Company, continued to help Jim complete the
project.
Just
as our community came together in the 1930s to help the FFA students
construct the Log Cabin, it once again came together to save it.
Thanks are due the City of Alpharetta, the Alpharetta Convention and
Visitors Bureau, the officers and members of the Alpharetta and Old
Milton County Historical Society who lobbied the School Board and the
City, Councilman Donald Mitchell who served as a liaison between the
City Council and the Historical Society, the members of the
construction team, and the many individual donors without whom the
Log Cabin could not have been saved.
By
October 1, 2017, the Alpharetta and Old Milton County Historical
Society (AOMCHS) had raised $162,000 (including the funds from the
City and the Convention and Visitors Bureau.). This amount was
sufficient to move the Cabin, but is not enough to complete its
restoration.
On
Saturday, October 14, 2017 our community watched and cheered as the
FFA Log Cabin left the grounds of the old Milton High School where it
had set for more than 80 years, and rolled down Milton Avenue to its
new location. Our beloved Log Cabin is saved, but much remains
to be done.
The Historical Society required $360,000
to complete the Log Cabin and all these funds have now been received
and the Log Cabin with added kitchen, 2 restrooms, was finished in
the spring of 2021. We have turned the Log Cabin into a
facility that will be used for events and educational sessions like
the ones that have been held in the facility for the last 84 years.
Several kids camps, Milton Class reunions, family reunions, AOMCHS
meetings, and Arts & Craft meeting have already been held in the
Log Cabin. A film maker has also rented the cabin to film some
movie sections. A full basement was added and it is
still being setup as an area to store and display AOMCHS archives
that were not put in the Museum in Alpharetta's city hall.