Pitts Blacksmith shop update - a little history from the area.

Thank you Warren County Historical Society for this write up.

And here is a small map that shows Pitts just south of Wright City.

It is on this one also.

Largest Private Log Cabin in the USA

Really Big!

Pitt's blacksmith shop. . .

I don' know why I don't show this little cabin off as much as I do the big one.
So I am going to start doing that right now.

 It started it's life, not to far from where it is now, as a blacksmiths barn.

I don't know if a little village named Pitts was where it stood, or a farm near it was called Pitts.
But it came to be known as Pitts Blacksmith shop.
My brother and I took it down and moved it in a day.
It took a little longer than a day to rebuild it.

This is the front.

 The roof did not have as steep a pitch. I made the roof taller and steeper to accommodate a second story.

I also added some new logs at the bottom to make the whole structure a little taller.

I added one lean-to to store old doors and windows and such.
The other I added to cover my 1940's tractor, amongst other things now.

This is the back.

Rear view with a log hewn for another project that never got used but now looks great with the green moss.

It had never been chinked. The gaps between the logs were just covered with boards.
It had to many doors and windows, several probably add much later.

If you look closely at the top two rows of opening between the logs, you will see I left them un-chinked so people could see on way of feeling the space between the logs.

 Tractor side lean-to.

Now holding two canoes also.

 The short door is original.

 The short door, which again is original, but with a slide added from another cabin.

The long saw blade was found leaning against a tree. Probably from about 1930.

The chains are logging chains from Maine.

Home made patch from an old can.

Right now it serves as a workshop, but soon to become a guest cabin.

Movies with Log Cabins in them - #1 - "An Unfinished Life"

2005

Not a great movie, but it was fun to watch two old pros working together.

Morgan Freeman's characters cabin was pretty cool.

Glen Ellen Lodge built 1933

You can see more of it here.

OK, now this is a log cabin.

McGraws and Hills

And this.

From a Jan. 2013 road trip.

We (on this trip) did drive home through one of my favorite little villages, Schluersburg. Not much left, some old farms, a nice church, and a couple of real neat dog-trot log cabins.

This first one still lived in.

And this wonderfully maintained one that now serves as a little museum.

Period doors and windows are well taken care of.

I once did some consulting on this one.
The owner was worried about a twisted log up in the top half-story, and was concerned about the safety of the structure.
I examined the log, which was gigantic, and told him in my opinion the log had twisted many, many years ago, was to large and to dry to re-twist back, and because it was so old, it wasn't going to twist anymore.

That was over twenty years ago, and it still looks sound and beautiful on these undeveloped acres.

Snow still hanging on, on the north side.

Covered and protected on the sides and back.

Assistant had been asking about wishing wells, having spotted a yard decoration one on our drive, so when chance came to explore the real thing. . .
. . . off she went..