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Frontier Culture Museum -- 1740 Log Cabin
Backcountry Notes ^ | August 23, 2009 | Jay Henderson

Posted on 08/23/2009 9:21:25 AM PDT by jay1949

The Virginia Frontier Culture Museum's 1740s log cabin is displayed as a work in progress. The cabin is a typical peeled-log, saddle-notched settler's cabin of the kind favored by Scotch-Irish moving into the wilds of the Backcountry. The construction was simple and required few tools. The museum's replica is built with one door and no windows -- a common practice which led to laws requiring homesteader's cabins have at least one window.

(Excerpt) Read more at backcountrynotes.com ...


TOPICS: History; Society
KEYWORDS: americanhistory; backcountry; frontier; logcabin; museum; scotsirish; settlers; virginia; virginiahistory

1 posted on 08/23/2009 9:21:26 AM PDT by jay1949
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To: JavaJumpy

ping


2 posted on 08/23/2009 9:25:18 AM PDT by jay1949 (Work is the curse of the blogging class)
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To: jay1949

“The museum’s replica is built with one door and no windows — a common practice which led to laws requiring homesteader’s cabins have at least one window.”

And the homeowners association CC&R concept is born.


3 posted on 08/23/2009 9:25:36 AM PDT by glock_fan
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To: jay1949

From it’s looks that cabin don’t need any windows. The cracks between the logs give plenty of opportunity for the nosy neighbors to look in.


4 posted on 08/23/2009 9:32:46 AM PDT by ArtyFO (I love to smoke cigars when I adjust artillery fire at the moonbat loonery.)
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To: ArtyFO

Yeah, but in those days, crack-peekin’ could be hazardous, because there’s also enough gap for the barrel of a 50-cal musket.


5 posted on 08/23/2009 9:36:22 AM PDT by jay1949 (Work is the curse of the blogging class)
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To: glock_fan
“The museum’s replica is built with one door and no windows — a common practice which led to laws requiring homesteader’s cabins have at least one window.”

It would be interesting to find out WHY people thought they could or should tell another person they had to have at least one window.

I guess even back then, there were those who sought to tell others what to do in their own private affairs.

6 posted on 08/23/2009 9:50:14 AM PDT by SteamShovel (When hope trumps reality, there is no hope at all.)
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To: jay1949

Some acquaintances of mine discovered a log cabin covered in the walls of the living room of their old farm house. They exposed the original logs and I can’t help but to admire the size of the trees used. I built a miniature log cabin for a school project many years ago and I thought the goal was to fill in the chinks between the logs with mud and clay. My father was a stickler for detail and made me actually make it faithful to the cabins of the 1800’s. Ventilation was the one concern that made me put in a small window in case the fireplace clogged and as a place to fire a gun out of if attacked.


7 posted on 08/23/2009 9:52:26 AM PDT by dog breath
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To: glock_fan

Not sure if this happened in Virginia, but there were locations where windows were taxed, ergo requiring windows would make sense from a government point of view.


8 posted on 08/23/2009 9:55:47 AM PDT by centurion316
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To: jay1949
The museum's replica is built with one door and no windows -- a common practice which led to laws requiring homesteader's cabins have at least one window.

Not having a window was a matter of builders convenience as a lot of additional work would be required for a window.

The main problem with not having a window or second door is the lack of escape route should the doorway be impassable. If the wife was getting a fire going, she might leave the baby in the cradle and step out to draw water from a well. In the meantime, a fire could get going that might block the doorway leaving the baby inside trapped.

Cooking fires burned down many a home which is why later construction styles commonly had a kitchen separate from the home. If the kitchen burnt down, at least the home could be saved.

9 posted on 08/23/2009 10:28:20 AM PDT by fso301
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To: centurion316

Closets were also taxed.


10 posted on 08/23/2009 10:39:36 AM PDT by bgill (The evidence simply does not support the official position of the Obama administration)
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To: centurion316

Interesting.

The window tax “was introduced under the Act of Making Good the Deficiency of the Clipped Money in 1696 under King William III[1] and was designed to impose tax relative to the prosperity of the taxpayer, but without the controversy that then surrounded the idea of income tax.” Wikipedia entry.

One factor on the American frontier was that the settlers had no glass; windows were covered with oiled cloth or paper, which didn’t admit much light.


11 posted on 08/23/2009 12:24:44 PM PDT by jay1949 (Work is the curse of the blogging class)
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To: jay1949

The Frontier Culture Museum should be a must-see visit for every school child (and adult) touring VA.


12 posted on 08/23/2009 12:31:27 PM PDT by EDINVA (A government that robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul -- G. B. Shaw)
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To: jay1949

Thanks for the ping!


13 posted on 08/23/2009 5:49:59 PM PDT by JavaJumpy
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To: JavaJumpy

You’re very welcome


14 posted on 08/23/2009 7:08:08 PM PDT by jay1949 (Work is the curse of the blogging class)
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