My Grandfather was a freight hauler. He would haul lumber and salt on horse drawn wagons. In 1913 he took many loads of lumber to the vast prairies of Wyoming. It was there that he hand built this homestead cabin. This is where my mother and her 6 brothers and sisters were raised. I have been given permission by the current land owners to label, disassemble and remove the old log cabin and relocate it by truck to Huntsville, Alabama. These are shots of the cabin and lumber in it's current condition. The plan is to salvage as much as the timber as possible and build it into the first story of Vintage Aviation Lodge.
The Land
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For the past several decades this cabin has been used as a shelter by sheep and cattle. |
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I assume that since the timbers had to be short enough to haul by wagon they were joined together with vertical joiners and also as interior walls. The hand labor that must have gone into joining these timbers is impressive. I find it difficult to work in the heat with power tools, let alone the thought of doing it with hand saws, hatchets and axes. |
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Most of the roof has collapsed but the log structure seems to be in good shape. Since this timber is almost 100 years old, it will have to be sealed in order to relocate it to the humid climate of Alabama. |
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As you can see, the roof is about gone. I want to save this piece of my families history from further deterioration. |
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