Backwoods treasure Madison County Mo.

Double treat weekend.

Two good days of kayaking and two 'new' log cabins to add to the log cabin life list.

Up across the cow pasture, about a half a mile from the main road sat these two old cabins.
Situated on the family property of a fellow kayaker, on one of Missouri's century farms.

This first one, the smaller of the two, was now home to several turkey vultures. They flew out of the open door in the top of the cabin.

Fairly small at about 12' x 12', it sets on what would have been and still is a great view up into the hills and down into the valley.

Once used, probably, as a farm hand/slave cabin.

The doors seem too small and it is up too far off of the ground to suggest a blacksmith shop or tool barn.

Simple 'V' notching and un-hewn logs suggest not being a main house for the land owners. Cabins used for slaves or farm hands would not have been built as nice or as large as the main family home.

 The back side shows an additional door.

Buildings usually used for animals would not have had chinking between the logs.
These smaller wood slats between the logs would have been used to help support the logs from sagging and to give the chinking something to hold on tow. There us still a lot of evidence of the old chinking.

Also, building used for animals would not have windows.
Although rougher built than the main house, it was a fine buildings.

This first image is what is left of the main house or structure.

In the background is a fine old out-building.
The outbuilding is in the best shape of all the buildings.

One corner of the main building showing the simple dove-tail notch.
This building also had wood slats between the logs and still holds some of it's chinking.

The vertical boards attached to the out side of the logs means this building once had clapboard siding on it.

I placed my hand on the log to give reference to the size of some of the wall logs.

Looking across the main cabin towards the smaller building.

These floor joice notches in this log suggest that the main cabin had been a one and a half story or two story cabin.

These notches were where the upper floor beams rested.

A Great setting.