I have always fantasized about backwoods shelters and rustic cabins, and making functional furniture to make these structures useful. Although the cabins on South Fork, with the exception of the shack, are not rustic backcountry survival shelters, my passion for making things, which in this case is cabin furniture, did happen.

I would use the extra boards from our century-old tobacco barn to make headboards, bedside tables, coffee tables, shelves, and more. The rustic unfinished wood was readily available and gave each cabin a unique and appropriate feel for the Red River Gorge.

With the build of our latest See Rocks Vista Cabin, I ran out of wood for the interior finishes. Luckily fate played its hand, and a neighbor up on High Rock Road made me aware of another barn needing to be removed to make room for the new Stanton Elementary School. My winning bid gave me access to the historic Stanton Gabel Barn and an almost unlimited supply of 80+ year-old white oak and pine boards, allowing me to finish this and several other projects.