Stoner Cabin Open House and Dedication
By Lee Howard
Saturday afternoon, October 25, Stoner Cabin was officially dedicated as the club’s most recent addition to its rental inventory. A group of family, friends, neighbors, and new acquaintances gathered under a canopy of autumnal colors to bask in the warmth of a crackling campfire, dappled sunlight, and a welcoming setting. Seasoned relationships were rekindled and new friendships sparked as the group celebrated the lives of kindred spirits whose legacy will benefit PATC members for generations to come.
Cabin Maintainers Lee Howard and Stephanie Richard worked closely with the cabin donor Vera Miller and club staff to ensure that the event went according to plan, and it was a tremendous success. The event kicked off with an open house, followed by a short ceremony with Lee as emcee. PATC Supervisor of Facilities Anstr Davidson delivered opening remarks to express the club’s gratitude for the generous gift.
While Stoner became available for rent in May, the dedication fulfilled three wishes Vera made when she donated the log cabin and five-acre wooded lot to the club in December 2023: she wanted to name the cabin, have a plaque installed to honor the folks who built it, and have a celebration onsite. Stoner is located along a country road at the base of Adam Yowell Mountain in Madison County, VA, a short drive from Old Rag and Whiteoak Canyon.
The cabin embodies the vision of a mother and son team: Sabra Staley and Stuart Miller. Sabra purchased the land in 1992 and christened it Yowell Come Woods. Stuart was a roofer, and he and his construction crew built the cabin from 1996 to 1997. American Chestnut logs salvaged from an antebellum structure originally built by the Matheny family define much of the cabin’s character. Additional wood was harvested on the property, during which a Civil War burial ground was discovered.
The family enjoyed sojourns to Yowell Come cabin for 25 years, until the passing of Sabra, and shortly thereafter, Stuart. Vera inherited the cabin and land and decided to pass along the symbol of the family’s love for the Blue Ridge Mountains and local hiking areas to PATC in late 2023 as her late husband’s legacy.
Staley/Miller family and friends attended the dedication, including members of the construction crew, traveling from as far away as Michigan. Louie Garcia and Jason Anderson rejoiced at seeing photographs of the construction work, and Doug Heffernan, who milled much of the lumber for the cabin, recounted compelling stories about the process. Their names are among those listed on the plaque now hanging in Stoner. Heather Miller, Sabra’s granddaughter and Stuart’s and Vera’s niece, shared many fond memories of staying in the cabin as a child.
The event drew other PATC volunteers, including Mark and Ruth Walkup, as well as friendly and curious neighbors. As members of “The Regulars”, the Walkups helped to renovate the cabin and prepare it for rental along with other volunteers such as Allison and Bruce Berberick. Bruce led the renovation effort and is the district supervisor for the Piedmont that includes Stoner and other cabins such as Fort Valley, Meadows, and Old Rag. The club’s resident artist Matt ‘Sharpie’ Gentry created two watercolor paintings of the cabin in advance of the event, one of which was presented to Vera’s daughter Virginia during the dedication. The second was given to Heather Miller after the event.
At the end of the ceremony, Heather shared a family tradition, explaining that, whenever she was at the cabin, her grandmother would play Taps in honor of the soldiers buried on the property. Then, with her own grandchild perched upon her shoulders, Heather played those solemn notes to the captive crowd. In conclusion, the Stoner Cabin Open House and Dedication highlighted the best of PATC culture - the joy of community, legacy of stewardship, and love of the outdoors - for what is common ground to both the deceased and the living.