Grapeland, Houston County
Joseph Redmond Rice (1805-1866) cut timber; then his young wife, Willie Masters Rice (1809-1881), snaked the logs to a homesite 16 miles southwest of here. the cabin they built was a noted way-station on the San Antonio Road. They brought up nine children, enlarging their cabin several times. After a grandson built a frame home in 1919, the old cabin became a farm storage shed. The Texas Centennial Commission in 1936 marked its history, and in 1973 it was given to the State of Texas and moved here for restoration and exhibition. (1976)