GLADE HILL -- Will Holland had seen contractors come and go in his quest to restore the slave cabin that would also serve as the home for his 77-year-old mother, Willie Mae.

"No one could see the vision of what we were trying to do," said Holland, 39. "One contractor would work for a little while, but they would eventually leave. After awhile, we just decided to do it ourselves."

Holland and his family finished construction on the Franklin County cabin in November, and Willie Mae Holland was able to move in before Thanksgiving.

The family is looking forward to celebrating the completion of the house when they gather for Christmas, Holland said.

"This has been a long time coming, but it's finally completed," Holland said.

Holland was given the home in 2002 by his dying father, Sam. It had been unoccupied and in deteriorating condition for several years before.

Holland set out to renovate the house so his mother could live there again, but in the middle of the construction, he uncovered logs that he suspected were once part of a slave cabin.

After further research, Holland discovered his hunch was right.

The cabin dates to 1821, when landowner Isaac Sermones built the cabin to house the five slaves he owned, according to documents prepared by the Roanoke regional preservation office.

The property was turned over to Sermones' in-laws, the Metts family, in 1870.

The Metts family kept the property until 1974, when Bessie Metts rented the house to Sam Holland. Holland bought the property in 1993.

Will Holland said he discovered during a family reunion in July that the house was actually promised to a slave, Sallie Walker, who was an ancestor of the Holland family.

"She was a midwife to the surrounding area," Holland said. "She delivered 500 babies during her time, and was promised the house for her work. Four generations later, she finally got her house."

The slave cabin features two rooms separated by a passageway. It contains two chimneys and fireplaces. The house was expanded around the turn of the 20th century, Holland said.

The house today contains a mixture of old and new elements.

The walls of the former slave cabin are exposed, but modern heating units, a bathroom and floorboards also adorn the house.

Holland bought many antique pieces -- such as a quilt that runaway slaves used in the underground railroad era -- from online sites such as eBay.

"We bought all these pieces while we were thinking of the design for the home," Holland said. "Now we are able to finally put it all in."

Marvin Holland, 49, said the family received inspiration from the house when it came to refurbishing it.

"The house just started speaking to us," Holland said. "We would wonder one day how we would do a particular part, and then the next day we would have an answer."

Marvin Holland said the house also scared away contractors who did poor work.

"They [contractors] said they saw ghosts," Holland said. "It was one guy who jumped from the porch all the way across the field. Our ancestors were looking over this house. They wanted it to be done."

Holland said the family just prayed and did the work themselves.

"I'm just a plumber, but I was doing carpenter work," Holland said. "This house pulled out every kind of talent that you had."

Will Holland said the family is in the process of seeking a historical designation for the cabin.

The family also wants to use the house as an educational tool for architectural students so they could refurbish other slave cabins.

But Willie Mae Holland is just glad to finally have her home restored again.