BRENTWOOD, Tenn. (WTVF) — It's been part of Brentwood for nearly 200 years, but the city says a piece of local history has to be disassembled. It's a move that's brought on some pushback from those hoping such a familiar sight can be saved. The city says the deterioration is past that point.
The Brentvale log house was built in 1830, a homestead at one time owned by the Gatlin family of the country music Gatlin Brothers fame. Once on Old Symrna Road, it was moved to Crockett Park in 1993 and is now owned by the city of Brentwood.
"Number one, you can see the deterioration of these logs," said assistant city manager Jay Evans. "They're losing their structural integrity. This wall has begun to compress and bow. We're looking at substantial deterioration of these log timbers."
Starting Monday, the cabin will begin a three-week process of being disassembled.
There's pushback from some in Brentwood, calling for a place that's part of history to be left alone or repaired.
Evans said the Brentwood Historic Commission agreed that disassembling the structure was the best thing they could do.
"There's nobody who loves history, loves this cabin more than they do," he said. "If there was a way to salvage this structure, they would do it."
Evans said the two chimneys will remain where they are and most of the timbers can be saved. They will be used to build a new structure in the same place.
