Vintage Log Cabins of Kentucky

Backcountry Notes ^ | February 15, 2010 | Jay Henderson

[passionfruit]

Wow! I love your cabin. I love all of the detail, and the effort you have put into concealing all of your modern conveniences!

[mel]

I am envious

[bvw]

I wasn’t born I an log cabin — but when my parents lived in one when I was born.

[DJ MacWoW]

I grewup in Toledo, Ohio. Behind our house was a log cabin from the early 1900’s. It was two rooms and had a pot-bellied stove. The walls had circus posters on them. My Grandmas S-i-L gave birth in 1918 in that cabin. Sadly it was torn down in the early 60’s to make way for a garage.

[TSgt]

Hazard to guess the age of this cabin? I was thinking I could contact the local historical society and see if someone could tell me but I’m afraid they’ll turn it into a landmark and then I’ll be screwed.

[TSgt]

Interesting that you would point out the chimney. I thought the same about ours and wondered how they kept warm?

[jay1949]

Beautiful work!

[Americanexpat]

Absolutely beautiful home sir, you are a master craftsman.

[WKUHilltopper]

Interesting...I’ve always heard the Lincoln cabin wasn’t the real deal. And even that the farm we have a state park, isn’t where he was born (close to Elizabethtown KY). Supposedly, the state figured that out (apparently all the documents are at the Filson Club in Louisville proving this) while it was building the memorial in the 50s and just said something like, “oh well, we’ve already started building the memorial”. He was born further southcentral closer to the TN border—supposedly as the story goes.

[cripplecreek]

From what I gathered from the History channel is that the real cabin is stored at the Lincoln memorial.

[jay1949]

There have been several pretenders to that throne. Some of these are “born in,” others are “lived in,” or “lived near,” and so on:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/86821724@N00/328753508

http://www.flickr.com/photos/86821724@N00/328753774

http://stufffromthelab.wordpress.com/2009/02/04/abraham-lincoln/

http://lincoln200.delaware.gov/information/24_LincolnLogCabin.shtml

http://www.lincolnbicentennial.gov/lincolns-life/virtual-tour.aspx

http://www.filsonhistorical.org/collections-and-exhibits/research-tools/lincoln%27s-kentucky/early-years/kentucky-in-1809.aspx

http://lincoln.lib.niu.edu/gal/ichi11483.html

[paulycy]

wondered how they kept warm?

There are still pockets of terribly poverty-stricken mountain folk here in the blue ridge and the simple answer is that the poor people don't stay warm. They survive despite the elements.

It is a tough life and there is a lot of pride in some of those those communities, refusing to take any charity of any kind.

They are simply recognized for who they are and are left (mostly) alone to live their lives. The kids still have to go to school or at least fulfill the legal requirements but other than that they remain as they are generation after generation.

I'm sure it's the same in Kentucky and all along the Appalachians. This is just my own experience since moving here over 10 years ago.

[kalee]

Thanks for posting. You have provided me with a picture to show my husband of the bathroom sink I want. I have been telling him what I want but he couldn’t picture it.

[WKUHilltopper]

That’s the one I was saying was “rumored” to be fake...and that’s the memorial that they were building in the 50’s and “learned” that’s not where he was born.

[jay1949]

One-time ping list invite for those who may be interested in log cabins and the folks who built and lived in them. I have posted 2 more articles in this general area and have more planned; if you would like to be on a “ping” list for these, please let me know.

New articles already posted: Lost Log Cabins of the Virginia Blue Ridge and Backcountry Folk of the Virginia Blue Ridge.

I have several more of these articles in process — one on the Virginia Blue Ridge Mountains, two on the Tennessee Smokies, one on the North Carolina Smokies, one on East Kentucky, and there are more formulating in the gray matter.

Publication schedule is irregular, but these should be done in the next four to six weeks. The theme is more or less old log buildings and the people who built and lived in them, along with a sidebar now and then on topics like the Blue Ridge Railroad, also in process.