Log Cabin Reconstruction Project
Photography by Jane Pyle
Early in 1999 the Chatham County Historical Association and the Chatham County Agricultural and Industrial Fair Association agreed to work together to reconstruct two log houses in Pittsboro. The Milliken house, built by a former slave named Bob, was given to the county fair association and moved from its original location about seven miles northwest of Pittsboro to the County Fairgrounds in 1977, where it was renovated under the supervision of C.W. Bryant. By 1996 the woods had grown up to obscure the cabin and a large oak fell on it during Hurricane Fran. By 1999 it had been dismantled and piers had been raised on a higher piece of ground for its reconstruction.
In 1999, the county historical society was given two log houses by Ellen and Sheldon Rothman. Located on property formerly belonging to the Marshall family in northwestern Chatham County, the houses had been vacant for some years and one of the fireplaces had been removed to build a stone wall. Early history of the houses is still unclear, but we think that Jonathan Marshall built the smaller of the two houses before 1850 and that his son Newton built the second house after the families returned from Indiana after the Civil War. Tenant farmers occupied the houses in the 1930s, according to neighbors, who said that an owner ran a pottery school in the buildings in the 1950s.
In February 1999 crews of volunteers from both organizations, under the leadership of Greg Talbott, dismantled the two Marshall buildings and transported usable logs and other lumber to Pittsboro. The older house, logs numbered, was to be built on a lot on Rectory Street between West Street and Salisbury Street, while the later house was to be used to scavenge parts for use in both the Marshall house and the Milliken house. Stonemasons Joe Kenlan and Michael Yarborough raised piers in early fall 1999, and the logs were stacked in two stages during the winter and early spring 2000. Weather, the need for lumber, and other delays postponed raising the roof rafters until spring 2001, and shortly thereafter Tim Blount was hired to shingle the roof, completing the job in May.
Volunteers then moved to the fairgrounds to start work on the Milliken house. After stacking logs to about the five-foot level, additional logs had to be found to continue the work because the original logs had deteriorated. Attempts were made to find old log structures that might be donated to the organizations, and when these failed a local lumbering firm was contracted to furnish the needed material. Stacking the Milliken cabin was completed in spring of 2002, and Tim Blount once again shingled the roof, completing the project in January 2004. Both structures received floors by 2005.
The reconstruction project for the two log houses was envisioned as a volunteer as well as a cooperative effort. A last major stumbling block to completion is, building the fireplaces. Craftsmen with skills needed to build a dry-stone fireplace are scarce and expensive, and the fireplaces need to be in place before chinking and daubing can be done by volunteers. CCHA is currently looking for craftsmen willing to build—with volunteer assistance—the fireplaces for one or both of the log houses.
Both log houses are intended to illustrate life in colonial Chatham County for visitors and school classes, with programs to demonstrate early American crafts such as weaving, splitting shingles, making soap, candle-making, and similar activities. We are eager to finish the structures so that these interesting activities can begin. For now, the unfinished cabin on Rectory Street is available for tours and by request to history@chathamhistory.org.
How you can help
w If you or someone you know can provide the skills needed to build a chimney for one or both of the log houses, please contact us to volunteer.
w If you are willing to work under the supervision of a skilled craftsman on this project, we need you, too.
w Donations toward the completion of this project are also gratefully received.
To volunteer write to us at history@chathamhistory.org Contributions can be made at the museum or by mail sent to CCHA, PO Box 93, Pittsboro NC 27312.
