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Old Settlers Village The
Old Settlers Village, a non-profit organization was founded in 1966 to
establish a frontier village at Loy Lake Park. The purpose
was to create and preserve a replica of an early town using the
structures and artifacts historically significant to Grayson County
history.
In 1966, seventeen acres at Loy Lake Park were deeded by the Commissioners Court of Grayson County to Old Settlers Village. Later, the court fenced fourteen of the acres. None of the buildings currently at Frontier Village were there before January 1971, allowing us to infer that, when the land was set aside fo Old Settlers Village in 1966, there were either no buildings on it or none that had survived. In 1977, the name was changed to "Grayson County Frontier Village Inc." 
Old Fashion Covered Dish Supper Launches Historic Amusement Park Ground
was officially broken on Saturday, September 9 in Loy Lake Park for the
beginning of the Old Settlers Village of Grayson County.
On hand for the ceremony was a small but enthusiastic group of supporters from throughout the county who joined together for an old fashion covered dish supper following the ground breaking. First building in the amusement park will be the old T. C. Bass home from downtown Sherman, the oldest house in the city. It is being moved to the site by B. E. (Ted) Nevils of Van Alstyne who recently devised a new method which is designed to make maximum use of all parts of the historic old house. The original plan of moving called for moving the house in three parts with removal of the old kitchen first followed by the lifting of the upper story on jacks while the lower floor is moved out from beneath it. The top floor would then be lowered and moved. Nevils' newest idea to remove the roof and about half of the upper floor walls (down to about the wainscot level, thus protecting the old wood panels) and then moving both upper and lower floors together. Measurements he has made along the route show that by reducing the overall height in this particular amount will permit the two floors to pass under low obstructions without trouble all the way to Loy Lake Park. This innovation suggested by Mr. Nevils appears to solve one of our most perplexing problems, said Olan Atherton, president of the non-profit organization which is supervising the park. Old Settlers Village of Grayson County, Inc. "This old house was built around a huge framework of hand hewn logs which were put together with handmade pegs which we obviously do not wish to destroy. Atherton said, adding "but to separate the two floors there appeared to be no alternative but to damage this excellent example of historic construction." Atherton said that now the house could be moved without disturbing this unique construction feature and also without having to disturb the beautifully carved staircase. When asked about the cost involved in making this unorthodox method of work, Atherton said that the board of directors were happy to learn that Mr. Nevils had agreed to absorb the added expense as his contribution to the Village. "While it does mean that the roof will have to be replaced with a new one, we had already anticipated doing this because the roof presently on the house is composition, and for an authentic restoration, it would have to be replaced with old-time shingles, anyway" Atherton said. Taking part in the groundbreaking were County Judge Les Tribble and Commissioner Tom McKee. Sheriff Woody Blanton brought a large group of deputies to assist in the event. Mr. McKee provided a dozen long tables from which the covered dish supper was served following a short explanation of the plans for the future park by Otto Vehle. Photograph Caption A DREAM COMES TRUE. With the help of Leon Loveless, Ed and Dorothy Gillespie make use of the "world's biggest shovel" to break ground for "Old Settlers Village" in Loy Lake Park on Saturday, September 9. Loveless, vice-president of the Sherman Chamber of Commerce, praised the work of Mr. and Mrs. Gillespie in the remarkable job they did in organizing a fund -raising campaign which brought in over $5,000 in less than a week for the purpose of moving Sherman's oldest home, the Nettie Bass House, from downtown Sherman to Loy Park. In the background can be seen a portion of the old home, the kitchen, which was the first portion to be moved. The tripod in the photo held an old copper pot in which donations were placed for furthering the park. source: Bullock & Bass Families of Grayson County compiled by M. C. Haggard & Ella Brown, 2004 Frontier Village Copyright © 2024, TXGenWeb. If you find any of Grayson County TXGenWeb links inoperable, please send me a message. |