What's New at Dallas Heritage Village
OH, THE CHINKS IN OUR HOUSE…
Restoring the walls of the 1847 Miller Log House
When the 1847 Miller Log House was moved from Oak Cliff to the Village for dedication
in 1969, the original chinking (mortar, rock and clay mixture between the logs)
had recently been replaced with a more modern version called “Portland cement.”
Today, restoration practices use more traditional methods. The cement mixture
popular more than 30 years ago created more problems than it solved.
The purpose of chinking is to fill in spaces between logs to provide a cabin with
a weatherproof wall. As a part of the natural aging process of a log cabin,
cracks in the chinking occur over time, requiring replacement of the mixture.
The Portland cement did not allow the logs to easily shift with changes in
humidity and was so inflexible some of the cracks and holes that grew over
time were large enough for the homeowner to wave to his neighbor. When the
mixture cracks, as is the case with the Miller Log House, moisture begins to
penetrate the wood causing logs to decay and rot. Furthermore, because the
original back porch was not in place, the back wall was deluged by rainwater,
causing water damage to several back wall logs.
After several recommendations between 1993 and 2000 to replace the chinking, the
only Texas-based company, Walker Built Vintage Homes of Fredericksburg, was
located and contracted to repair the Miller Log House. The process to replace
rotten logs, provide a better chinking mixture and build a back porch have been
delayed for several years until the repairs and funding of the $48,000 project
could be secured.
Thanks to generous donations from the Dallas Alumnae Association of Kappa Kappa Gamma,
The Hoblitzelle Foundation and The Eugene Straus Charitable Trust repairs to the
Miller Log House began on October 1, 2007.
 
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