AIKEN - People are failing to remember the past, John Osteen said.

"When we fail to remember the past, we don't have much future," said Mr. Osteen, 78.

This weekend marks the 27th year of Mr. Osteen's Authentic Log Cabin event in Couchton, which in addition to its 1850s-style cabin will feature a one-room country schoolhouse, a meat smoke house, a sugarcane mill and additional attractions.

Mr. Osteen said that, when he was a youngster in Sumter County, an influential figure in his life set him on a path that would eventually lead to the creation of his "Authentic Log Cabin."

"I had a seventh-grade teacher at the little town of Pinewood, S.C., and she was Ms. Richardson," Mr. Osteen said. "I didn't know it at the time, but she instilled a love of history in me."

Allen Riddick, the president of the Aiken County Historical Society, said he looked forward to viewing the country schoolhouse.

"I love to listen to him, and it shows to young children how things were back then," Mr. Riddick said.

"It's real important to have it preserved."

A Confederate flag flies near the Confederate museum, which contains Civil War artifacts and photographs and newspaper clippings detailing the wartime service of Mr. Osteen's ancestors.

He said his grandfather, great-grandfather and great-great grandfather all served in the war.

Mr. Osteen, who plans to lead tours and educate people about topics ranging from the sugarcane mill to cotton production, said he has enjoyed expanding the property over the years.

"See, you can come out here and just relax and feel peace and the world is not so hectic," Mr. Osteen said as he motioned toward the log cabin. "I had never laid a stone until I laid that stone fireplace, so you can do anything in your life you want to do, if you want to do it."

Reach Nathan Dickinson at (803) 648-1395, ext. 109, or nathan.dickinson@augustachronicle.com.