The Garo Cabin was relocated from the ghost town of Garo in late summer 1973. It was donated by Mrs. Fay Turner. She believed that the cabin was built in 1895. It was one of four buildings that still existed in the town of Garo at the time. The building is made of logs that have been cut flat on the ends to form corner joints. The logs were stacked one upon the other to construct the walls, and the space between the logs was caulked to form a water-tight seal. Today it contains domestic items that the pioneers used. Displayed are old pressing irons of the 1800s. There is a "sad-iron," with the handle permanently cast to the body of the iron and weighing approximately five pounds.
Before any pressing was done, the iron had to be heated by placing it on a cooking stove. One can examine a "fluting iron" used to press ruffles, along with irons with detachable handles and ones that are heated with charcoal or gasoline. Also displayed is a mangle with wooden rollers that were also used for pressing. A wooden ironing board with an attachment for ironing ruffles rests against the wall.
A crude, rocker-type washing machine with a hand wringer stands ready for another load. Here is a "cyclone" washer: the cleaning action was by a manual stomper, which caused a suction action with the water and the clothes to get out the dirt. A wash-boiler sits in the corner. The boiler was filled with water and heated on the top of the stove. Also on display are hand-held scrub-boards made of wood and ribbed metal.
