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Log
Construction
The earliest permanent
buildings constructed after the initial period of white settlement were of
hewn-log construction. Generally, they represent a combination of various
building and house types of British tradition with horizontal hewn-log
construction techniques. The precise origins, if such exist, of hewn-log
construction as manifested in Indiana are not known. Some theorists
attribute the dissemination of horizontal log construction in America to
German and Scandinavian immigrants, though this is not certain. In any case,
hewn-log construction flourished in the hardwood forests of the American
frontier. Americans elevated the log building--usually referred to as
"cabin"—to the status of icon. It represents the self-reliant and honest
virtues of the rugged pioneer at home in the wilderness.
Today, the apparent simplicity of log
buildings often belies the sophistication of the intricate corner notching
systems by which the logs were joined, as well as the high level of
craftsmanship invested in the hewing of logs. It should be noted that
hewn-log buildings differ from the so-called log cabins of round-log
construction. These were in most cases crude, temporary buildings that have
rarely survived to the present.
Within a generation or
two of their construction, hewn-log buildings were usually replaced by
larger buildings of frame or brick construction. Quite often they were
relegated to less prominent locations where they served as outbuildings. In
other cases, they were merely abandoned. It was customary, as well, to
incorporate log buildings into newer structures so that their form and
construction are virtually unrecognizable. While most log buildings were
constructed during the early years of white settlement, they were not
uncommon during the first half of the nineteenth century.
Most log houses consisted of a single room,
or pen. The single-pen
house was normally a one-room rectangular plan structure with a sleeping
loft above. The gable-end chimney, built of fieldstone, could be either
interior or exterior to the structure. Windows were small and because of the
scarcity and impracticality of glass on the frontier were often covered with
oiled cloth or wooden shutters.
When a second
room, or pen, was added, the result was a
double-pen house.
Most of Morgan County's examples of hewn
log construction are found in the county's southern townships where timber
was plentiful. Two examples are known to exist in Martinsville, but they are
a bit unusual.
Log Construction:
Hornberger House, 90 South Ohio Street
Built in 1976, this
addition at the rear of the original house is made of logs salvaged from a
rural church. Said to be the oldest house in Martinsville, the Hornbergers'
house is featured in the book, 99 Historic Homes of Indiana.
The house at 115 South Marion Street has a brick veneer
that covers its log construction. It is an unusual two-story version of a
log house. The photo of the original house is found in the 1925 Martinsville
High School yearbook.
Log Construction: "The Old Log House"
(date unknown), 115 South Marion Street
A
Simple Log Cabin? Think Again!
When a Hoosier set out to build his log house a
century ago, a series of complex decisions had to be made. Shaped log or
hewn and chinked? One room or more? Which neighbors can help? How many of
the 75 necessary tools must be bought, borrowed or made? How much time is
available?
How these decisions were made and how these
structures were built can be found in Log Buildings of Southern Indiana,
an invaluable book for anyone interested in the history, construction and
preservation of log buildings and the architecture of the American Midwest.
Houses, barns and outbuildings constructed
of logs have always aroused interest, wonder and curiosity. To
many people, they represent a very tangible link with the past, a way of
gaining insight into the everyday life of the pre-industrial era. Despite
such interest, there have been few detailed studies of the log buildings of
southern Indiana.
Based on a close study of more than 400 log
buildings carried out over a period of many years, Warren E. Roberts
attempts to fill that lack. Employing more than 50 photographs and 45
drawings, Roberts describes, categorizes and tells how log buildings in
southern Indiana were built. He also presents the background and history of
log construction in western Europe and the United States, and he discusses
various theories concerning the origin of log construction in America.
For more
on log construction, see the page on
barns
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