The chimney is protected by a fence, but one can get a good look at it from all angles. One can actually still make out the shape of the fireplace and the support bar used as part of the frame. Outside the enclosure is an interpretive sign, "Hearth and Home", with a teaser:
Beginning in the last half of the 1800s, American settlers moved into this area. Things they left behind, like this chimney, give us insight into their way of life.
The lower section of the sign is divided into two sections, with "Who Lived Here?" on the left and "Gone to Texas" on the right. The left section has a small inset photo in the upper left corner, captioned "THIS PHOTO shows the house and chimney in the 1980s." A larger photo is captioned, "STANDING RIGHT WHERE YOU ARE NOW, a photographer snapped this photo of the Kays family in 1918. What might it have been like to live in a 15x30 foot house with a family of six? How big is your bedroom at home?" The main text reads:
This sandstone chimney provided the hearth that made this house a home. Originally attached to a small house built in the 1880s, the chimney now stands alone. Many families lived in the house over the years until it was abandoned in 1949.
In the lower corner of the right section is a map of the southern United States, captioned, "MANY SETTLERS ARRIVING in this area in the late 1800s were from southern states, mostly Missouri. Arkansas, Alabama and Tennessee." "Immigration to Denton County 1865-1880", shows the origins by percentage of new settlers: Missouri (20.9%), Kentucky (5.2%), Arkansas (16.8%), Tennessee (13.4%), Mississippi (7.0%), Alabama (12.4%), and Louisiana (4.0%). The main text reads:
W. S. Peters, with the Texas Emigration and Land Company, promoted settlement of northern Texas in the 1840s. The first area opened to settlement included the Cross Timbers of Cooke, Denton and Grayson counties. Many families travelled to Texas together to claim land,
establishing the communities of Mountain Springs, Gainesville and Pilot Point.
Most early settlers to this area came from Missouri, Arkansas, Alabama and Tennessee, gravitating to the familiar wooded terrain. Many settled near the Elm Fork of the Trinity River, recognizing that the timber, water and bountiful wildlife in this area would mean survival on this new frontier.
Many settlers planted vegetable gardens, raised hogs and chickens and kept a cow for milk and butter. Trapping and hunting wild game like rabbit, quail and squirrel helped fill out their diet. Seasonal treats included wild blackberries, dewberries, plums and wild greens such as dandelions, pokeweed and wild onion.
The additional coordinates listed below are for the parking closest to the Lost Pines Trailhead, which you'll walk a short distance to get here.