Historic Preservation - Eva “Granny” Henderson Cabin Project

Have you ever hiked, paddled, or ridden on horseback by an old homestead in the Buffalo National River area and wondered what stories it could tell of the pioneer family that built and occupied it? What were their names and their way of life along the Buffalo River? Maybe you are concerned about the deteriorating condition of an old house and outbuildings, and the risk of losing the history of these early pioneers.

Well, Buffalo National River Partners feel the same way! We are kicking off a preservation project fundraiser to assist the National Park Service fund the restoration of some of these historic sites. Since the NPS has limited funds in their budget for historic preservation, BNRP, along with your volunteerism and donations, are making preservation of historic buildings and places in the park part of our mission.

There are many homesteads that need attention, but NPS and BNRP want to begin with the popular and famous Eva "Granny" Henderson Cabin which has recently received designation on the National Register of Historic Places. The homestead is located four miles down Center Point Trail in the Ponca Wilderness Area. It's a rugged, steep 4-mile hike or horseback ride in and 4-miles back out.....OR, an easier float from Ponca to the Jim Bluff area where the cabin is a quarter mile away. (Canoe takeout would be downriver at Kyles.) Because this site is in a wilderness-designated area, no gas or electric-powered tools/saws are allowed. Materials will need to be packed in by humans or pack horse/mule or floated in! If Granny could make a life there without power or running water, we can manually operate tools like she and her husband Frank did when they built this cabin themselves in this rugged, remote location on the Buffalo.

Our fundraiser goal for this project is $20,000, an estimate set by the NPS. The cabin needs work on the foundation, sill, roof, and areas of exterior siding. Soil needs to be removed from the back side of the cabin and the homestead area needs to be de-brushed to make it fire-safe in the event of a wildfire.

There will be numerous work dates set in the near future, and NPS personnel will be there to direct volunteers on needed jobs. Those dates will be posted on the BNRP website. We hope to receive enough donations to accomplish the needed work and provide historic plaques and markers telling the story about each homestead and the family who lived there.

We're in awe of the resilience and ingenuity of people like Eva and Frank Henderson, who settled along the Buffalo River. The old homesteads, churches, barns, and outbuildings help tell the stories of these Ozarks. As we look to the future, the work of protecting and restoring these places is worthy of our attention, our time, and our money.

If you would like to donate to the Eva Henderson cabin restoration project, you can donate on our website.

If you would like to volunteer for this or any of our other opportunities you can sign up here!

Thanks for being a partner in helping preserve the history of the pioneer families of the Buffalo National River! For more information about the Henderson cabin, visit the National Park Service “Granny” Henderson page.