For close to 50 years, Dillard “Junior” Blankenship and his wife, Wilda, lived in a home on a farm in the Samoa area of Texas County, east of Houston.
In the early 1980s, they embarked on a project in a remote forested area of their property, resulting in the building a large pond for Junior to fish in, and a primitive stone cabin for Wilda.
“This was her getaway spot,” Renee said. “She liked to display her collectibles here, and just have a place to be alone and enjoy.”
Junior died in 1993, and after Wilda passed away in February 2015, the “Stone Cabin” and approximately 160 acres of land were purchased by nearby residents Darren and Renee Ice. Since then, the cabin has undergone a significant transformation and the Ices now share it with anyone who wants to use it as overnight accommodations via the popular website, “Airbnb.”
But while it’s now equipped with propane lighting and an on-demand propane hot water system, the Stone Cabin is still pretty primitive.
“There’s no wi-fi, no electricity and the cell service isn’t good,” Renee said. “But we’ve had a lot of people who said they were just going to turn their phones off and say ‘thanks’ for being able to escape for a while.”
Construction of the 300 square-foot cabin was done by John Mitchell, but not without major input from Wilda Blankenship.
“She went out and picked all the rocks,” Renee said. “She even had specific rocks she wanted in specific places, like one from the stream where she grew up. When they were doing all the masonry, she would tell them, ‘I want this rock here and this rock here.'”
Other improvements the Ices have made to the cabin include refinishing the original wood floor, installing a bathtub and more. Outside, a fire pit and seating area has been added, as well as a kids’ play area, hammock and other features designed for leisure. There’s also a nice two-seater outhouse built by Darren.
“People really like it,” Renee said.
Since listing the Stone Cabin on Airbnb last May, the Ices have had several guests stay in it, mostly from the Kansas City and St. Louis areas, but also from as far away as Virginia.
“It’s mostly couples,” Renee said, “but we did have one family. Some of the people want to talk a lot and learn some of the history, and others just want to be left alone.”
Pets are welcome, and one guest brought a cat.
“We tell them it’s at you own risk,” Darren said.
“There are coyotes around, so you need to be careful.” Some of the guests who have dropped a line in Junior’s pond have fared quite well.
“We had some people fishing in it last spring and they were pulling out some real big catfish,” Renee said. “Wilda kept it stocked and she didn’t let very many people fish in it.”
The Ices have plans for more improvements to the grounds around the cabin, including a large pavilion adjacent to the pond designed to host weddings and reunions. Some of the land around the pond has been cleared, and plants and grasses native to Missouri will be planted this year (with help from the experts at Texas County’s Hamilton Native Outpost).
Renee said she and Darren have learned a lot and had fun in the few years they have owned the Stone Cabin, and they’re looking forward to its future.
“We have big goals,” she said. “It’s going to take a while.”