1820 Gordon-Collins cabin
The 1820 Gordon-Collins cabin is among four historic buildings at Boone Junction at the Boone County History & Culture Center. The buildings are open by appointment and during events.
The 1820 Gordon-Collins cabin. Photo courtesy of the Boone County Historical Society.
The cabin was once home to David Gordon Sr., one of the founders of Columbia, until his Manor was built. The cabin later housed his enslaved people, including Jim Williams, who shared his enslaved recollections in a Sept. 26, 1935 Columbia Missourian article.
“Why, I learned to walk and talk in that cabin,” said Mr. Williams.
The single pen and loft cabin was moved to Nifong Park from Stephens Park and restored in 2004- 2005.
This image is from the 1980 David Gordon and Collins Log Cabin National Register of Historic Places nomination.
According to the David Gordon House and Collins Log Cabin National Register of Historic Places nomination form of Sept. 30, 1980, Gordon was one of the 34 land speculators who formed the Smithton Company in 1818, which later developed the city of Columbia.
Gordon bought 2,720 acres at 2100 E. Broadway, where Stephens Park is today. Gordon settled there with his family and 26 enslaved people. The Gordon family lived in the cabin until a manor house was built in 1823. The manor house burned in 1998.
Stephens College owned the property from 1926 until 2001, when the city bought it for Stephens Park. In 1935, the cabin underwent an initial restoration overseen by E. A. Collins, a Stephens College field force employee.
Sources:
Boone County Historical Society: The Village at Boone Junction: The Gordon-Collins Cabin
Havig, Alan (undated). Boone County Historical Society’s Online Archives. Columbia, Missouri: Boone County Historical Society. https://boonehistory.blogspot.com/2009/10/gordon-cabin-and-former-slave-featured.html Accessed June 21, 2024. This contains a transcript of the Sept. 26, 1935, Columbia Missourian article, Enthusiastic Over Restoration of Home Uncle Jim Williams Recalls His Early Life in Gordon Cabin E.A. Collins Is Restoring.
Havig, Alan (Sept. 30, 1980). National Register of Historic Places Form: Gordon, David House and “Pop” Collins Log Cabin (variously known as Cedar View and/or Gordon Manor. Columbia, Missouri. Accessed June 21, 2024.
Images:
The Gordon-Collins Cabin in Boone Junction in Nifong Park at the Boone County History & Culture Center, courtesy of the BCHS.
Gordon-Collins Cabin, image copied from the National Register of Historic Places Form: Gordon, David House and “Pop” Collins Log Cabin (variously known as Cedar View and/or Gordon Manor. Columbia, Missouri. Accessed June 21, 2024.
CoMo Preservation is devoted to helping homeowners, landlords, and institutions prevent the destruction of historic architecture. Original period styles might be replicated but will forever lack the social history of authentic structures. Preserving historic places and spaces gives people a sense of place and boosts Columbia’s economy. You can get involved by volunteering, signing up for our mailing list, attending an event, becoming a member, or donating.
