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(Feb. 1, 2012) An 1830s-era log cabin, previously located about five miles south of Dahlonega, has found a new home at North Georgia College & State University.

Donated by John and Betty Smulian, the 180-year-old structure was prepared for its move over the past several weeks and was towed to the university's Georgia Appalachian Studies Center on Tuesday morning. Center Director Alice Sampson cheered when the truck carrying the cabin pulled into the Vickery House's gravel driveway, celebrating the culmination of three years of efforts by countless supporters from the university and Dahlonega.

"The center is grateful to the Smulians for their generous donation to the university. Their vision provides the university and the community with a powerful learning tool for our students and a focus for service-learning projects and activities," Sampson said.

The rustic, 320-square-foot cabin will be used as a teaching tool for North Georgia students and others. Sampson said students currently enrolled in the Introduction to Appalachia course will develop the public opening of the cabin, planned for late April.

They'll also be tasked to research and document the background of the cabin. There are clues that hint of a rich history yet to be discovered -- various deeds show that the cabin was built in the early years of the Dahlonega gold rush and several Dahlonega families owned and lived in it during the decades since. Other stories claim that the land on which the cabin was built could have been owned by American Indians.

This week's relocation may not be the first time the cabin has been moved. One family story related to Rosann Kent, the center's program manager, says the cabin was moved from its original spot when the well went dry in the early 1900s. The family living there at the time, most likely the Thompsons, dismantled the cabin log by log and rebuilt it in a new spot nearby that had better access to water.

While the cabin has been moved to campus, it isn't quite ready for a public opening. The roof, which had to be taken off due to height restrictions during the move, has to be replaced and a solid foundation needs to be built.