Log Cabin Museum Continued: Rueben Rice Kirkland Family

By Barbara McLaurine

The Log Cabin was built and first occupied by Reuben Rice Kirkland (1832-1915) and his wife, Sarah McLaney (1834-1885), in what was then Pike County. They were married January 2, 1851. The cabin was built adjacent to the land of Sarah’s father, James McLaney. Rueben and Sarah had eleven children, Susan, Elizabeth, Mary, Sarah, Lucy, William, James, Fredonia, Martha, Robert, and Alice. Rueben’s grandfather was a volunteer soldier in the American Revolution where he lost his right arm. His son, William Kirkland along with the Dykes and Brabham families moved to Alabama when Rueben was two. Reuben Rice Kirkland served during the Civil War in both Company E of Hillard’s Legion and as Lieutenant in Company A, 4th Alabama.

The split log cabin was constructed with two rooms in the lower floor which was divided by a plank partition and a stairway storage area. The large fireplace was constructed of local stone. An outside stairway with steep steps led to an upstairs double bedroom loft. The front and back porches flanked the cabin. Wooden shutters were on the windows. As customary during this era, the kitchen was detached from the main house to prevent fires. A small log kitchen stood a few feet from the back of the cabin for that purpose. The kitchen would eventually be turned into a smokehouse. A well was dug at each home to provide fresh water. A small milk house was located next to the well on stilts to keep the milk and butter away from animals.

Sarah and Rueben’s first child, Susan, died at age two and was buried in Herin Cemetery. Sarah died February 2, 1885 and Reuben went on to marry Margaret Salter Etheridge McGhee (1837-1915), who was a widow at the time of their union, on September 23, 1886. They lived in the cabin until Rueben’s daughter, Alice Lorena, married James Henry Sims in 1906. Rueben and Margaret moved into the home of Alice and James Sims and remained there until they died in 1915. They are both buried in the Stills Cemetery in Bullock County. The Sims’ daughter, Sara, married J. T. Ogletree. Sara Sims Ogletree, a member of the Bullock County Historical Society, was instrumental in obtaining the log cabin for the Historical Society in 1980. December 5, 1911, Reuben and Margaret Kirkland deeded to widower Elmyra P. Books two hundred acres for two thousand dollars which included the log cabin. R.E. L. Cope certified the deed, and it was recorded January 23, 1912.

The Kirkland family descendants have been very accomplished in education and the arts. Sara Sims Ogletree was a beloved educator in Union Springs. Her grandson, Wes Chapman is well-known for his many accomplishments in Ballet. Elmyra P. Brooks' husband, Joseph Leonard Brooks, died September 11, 1911, leaving her a widower with small children when she purchased the land and cabin.

Donations for the restoration of the Log Cabin Museum may be sent to the Bullock County Historical Society, PO Box 563, Union Springs, Alabama 36089.

The third article about the log cabin will be about the Brooks Family.