Add one to the Log Cabin Life List (LCLL) - an 1830's cabin being reused.

When we were driving up to wife's family farm a couple of weeks ago we spotted this cabin starting to go up. On that trip the roof was not on yet.

 So on Thanksgiving day on our drive once again up to the farm, this time for Thanksgiving dinner, we left a little early so we would have time to stop and see this cabin near New London Mo.

As we pulled in we noticed someone sitting in a truck on the site.

I always like it when the owner is about.

The owner, Randy, was more than happy to give us the story of the cabin.

 It was built in 1830 by and for a man born in 1776.

He apparently didn't get to enjoy it for too long for he died in 1835.

Randy says the tombstone was inside the cabin.

 Because Randy is going to use it as a show room for his stone business he has to build the supports a little more hefty than you might for your own use.

He has some Amish boys doing much of the work for him.

A few logs had to be replaced, but they have done a great job matching and fitting them.

I love the barnwood gable ends.

He also used barnwood on the ceiling which really gives it atmosphere on the inside.

Looking forward to the progress over the next few months.

Now I can say - GOT IT COVERED! - a good week on the treehouse.

 Had six good days Thanksgiving week to work on the treehouse project.

As you can see here, I got all the roof done and shingles on.

Had to work around two trees, but that's what makes it a treehouse after all.
Both trees are boxed in like this one.

I was all tied in finishing up the shingles.

A view from the top of my world that day.




















Same day I got the big window in also.

Then before help came out Friday, daughter and I got the rear  . . .

 And front windows in.

Then later that same day good friends showed up to help and we got the east wall sided.

 Friday night daughter and I spent out at the cabin and Saturday we got back at it early before we had to leave for a family function and we got the north (back side) wall sided.

We still have to shoot a line across the bottom and trim them off, but we were pretty happy we got so much done.

Looks good with the little window.

 Sunday we got help again.

Here working on porch rails before we got back at it on the west wall.

You can see the roof notch around the tree on this side also.

 Then we got the west wall sided around the big window.

More higher math with the tree and rafters to work around.

North and west sides.

Just the front to side and make a door.
But daughter is not waiting for those to play in it.

A couple of neat old photos.

This one is called Johnny Jackson's cabin.

Look at the size of those logs.
5 or 6 to make a wall. Wow!













This one is called slave' house.

It is pretty big. Nice chimney.

Maybe more than one family.

Most of the chinking is gone. Some metal tin covering some of the logs.

Could have been the land owners home, then passed down if the land owners moved into a bigger house.

Log Cabin life list addition - Tower Park St Charles County

 We are lucky to live in a county that has a very good park system.
They ranch from good urban parks to nice country or rural parks.
Tower Park has been around now for about ten years,  and this old brick home is one of the cornerstones of this rural park.
Once called 'The Pink Plantation' after going into disrepair it was moved and rebuilt.

Driving by the park last weekend I noticed they had added two log cabins.
So today I was able to go by.

This is how you first see them as you leave the parking lot.

The closest one is this one.
It has been reconstructed as a smoke house, which may have been its original purpose.

It is a very recent project.

The tags are still on the logs and the newly cut ends are still brown and not gray.
Very few of the logs have gray ends, so there has been a lot of replacements.

 'V' notches.

The only problem I can see with the project is that for some reason the chinking has already started to crack.

That either means it got really cold when it was drying or that there is not good support between the logs behind the chinking.
In this one you can see how bad it is cracking.

 I have a feeling this was rebuilt from logs from more than one project. That would explain the new notches on so many logs.

The foundation is very well done.

 Along the walk for these building are some nice plaques explaining the purpose of such buildings.

 Just across the field from the smoke house is this building.

It is a very nice two story.

 They have made sure to replace the windows with 6 over 6 which is very period.

The window boarded over here was probably not part of the original configuration and it would be fun to find out where this building came from.

 There are only two problems I see with this building. I don't know if problem is the right word, but there, I said it.

On both buildings, although perhaps maybe how they were at one time, the lack of over hang on the side, front or back means the logs will be exposed to lots of rain and water run off, which could damage the logs very quickly.

 Second would be having the stove pipe come out of the walls instead of the roof.

There are a couple of reasons for this having to do with flue gases and draft.

There is a math formula if you ever want to check it out.

Again, the foundation is very well done.
I hope to some day get to go inside these two.

 Again, another nice sign explaining some of the things on your walk.

 Another view of the Pink Plantation.

This time with the summer kitchen.

 If you ever wondered about summer kitchens. . . . .

 And a little bit on the old brick house.

I just love this park.

Thanks St. Charles.

The Treehouse project - Got it covered! - well almost.

 Friday I just got work done moving leaves away from the cabins so no sparks would catch the place on fire.

Sunday I got back out and got some work done on the  treehouse project.

Added the last rafters on the north side.

Closed in, on top of the walls, the space between the rafters.

Then I was able to start on the roof decking.

Because I am working alone, and plywood is hard to handle alone up high, I am using 1x8x10 lumber for the decking.

I also used the same on the roof decking for the Adirondack project and really liked how it came out.
(This is from the south-east side.)

I took a while to work out the boards around the trees, but now that that is done it will go pretty fast.

(This is from the south-west side.)

Old log store and post office in Missouri

Up, Up and Away!. . . . The Treehouse protect.

 Got out to the cabin on Saturday.
The fall colors were at their best despite (or because of) the dry summer.

Just love it out there in November.

Well I hope daughter loves her treehouse when it is all finished.

But if she doesn't, at least it will give me a good platform for a different angle on taking pictures of the cabins.

 The walls are up, and on Saturday I got the roof rafters set and in place.

The higher math required to set rafters has always been hard for me, but it seems to turn out okay anyway.

This is the view from the north.

Cabin and last project in the background.

 This view is from the south-east.

There will be three windows, but I don't want to set them in until I am done with the roof, which I hope to do next weekend.

Now I have to design a ladder system she can pull up when she doesn't want company.

Log Cabin Woman - Olive Boone. Yea! those Boone's.

Nathan Boone: “In the spring of 1800 I built this cabin. It was small, without a floor, and as the spring rains began, water came in. Occasionally the puddles on the floor were several inches deep. My dear wife, Olive, and her Negro girl got poles to lay down for string pieces, then peeled elm bark and laid it down as a floor, the rough side up to prevent its warping or rolling up. That winter and spring she and her Negro girl cut all the wood and fed the cattle while my father and I were absent hunting.”


Olive Boone

Nathan Boone's home in St Charles where Daniel Boone died.