Nestled within the hills just outside of Morgan Mill, Texas are three of the prettiest – and tiniest – cabins you may ever see. Owned by Katherine and Leon Clift, Stillwater Cabins is a hideaway for nature lovers and those looking for solitude.
“It’s the most beautiful place in Texas,” Katherine said. Stillwater Cabins was a long time in coming for the Clifts. The couple met while Leon was playing a show. Leon played bass over the years for a variety of musicians, including the Ted Neeley Five, the Goodtime Singers from the Andy Williams Show and Roger Miller. “My music career really launched out when I went to Las Vegas with a friend of mine,” A friend there got a gig in Hawaii and needed a bass player because they lost theirs.” With the stage name Cliff Reynolds, Leon played with some of the most well-known musicians of the day: Johnny Cash, Ray Peterson, Jim Morrison and the Doors, Stevie Wonder, Sonny and Cher, Diana Ross and the Supremes and Jackie Wilson. After marrying Katherine, Leon “turned his life over to God” and left the nightclub business. “We nearly starved to death when he made this decision,” Katherine said. “What made it so bad is that people would hear he was not playing with anybody and so he would be getting offers constantly.” Leon began remodeling houses at that time, which was difficult because he “didn’t know much about building.” But, Leon learned and built the house they currently live in and all three Stillwater cabins.
“This is the fifth time we built this house because we used to move a lot,” Katherine said. “We’ve been here 20 years. We never thought we would be in a place that long. This is the last house we will build hopefully.” At the same time, Leon began to play “clean country and good Gospel music” at a local steakhouse. This led to playing in multiple churches and becoming a worship leader. He also played music with his wife. “We started a little duo and played locally,” Katherine said. In 2000, Leon began pastoring a church in Stephenville called New Beginnings. “We still meet in homes now,” Leon said. “It’s really cool.” Over a year ago, the Clifts decided to begin a new project of building “backyard getaways” or cabins that could be sold on skids. “We built the first one and it never sold,” Katherine said. “We couldn’t figure out how to market it. So, we built a little bigger one, and we finally gave up on the idea.” Since the cabins were sitting on their property, the Clifts decided to begin Stillwater Cabins and rent them out. “We had thought of the idea before because it’s such a beautiful place out here and how nice it would be if we had cabins to rent,” Katherine said. “So, we put them on foundations and set them up.” Each cabin is a slightly different size. Creek Cabin contains a queen bed, bathroom and kitchenette.
The Hideaway holds a double bed, bathroom and kitchenette.
The Sidekick is a one room overflow cabin, which holds a twin bed for those who need extra space.
Surrounding the cabins are a mile and a half of nature trails. One takes you down to a spring-fed creek with a fishing hole and another trail circles around three ponds.
“When you are up on the top pond, you can see the hills in the background,” Katherine said. “We have a picnic area on the top pond. We have a camping area over the biggest pond.”
Cabins can be viewed and rented at www.stillwatercabins.com. If you are looking for a beautiful place to relax and unwind, Stillwater Cabins is the place to go.
