Mission Statement

The Georgia Log Cabin project is dedicated to the preservation of log buildings and their histories in the State of Georgia and neighboring area of the Southeastern United States.

Objectives

1. Locate and research Georgia’s historical log buildings (i.e., log houses, cabins, barns, and other log structures)
2. Raise public awareness about the vanishing log buildings and their stories
3. Preserve or reconstruct endangered log cabins
4. Teach young people about rural life and values through the log cabin theme

People

This Project is a program through the Agrarian Connections Farm located in Oglethorpe County, Georgia in collaboration with the University of Georgia’s Department of Anthropology. The project is directed by Robert E. Rhoades, Distinguished Research Professor of Anthropology at the UGA. He is assisted by University of Georgia students and the staff at Agrarian Connectionss Farm.

Activities

Participants in the Georgia Log Cabin project seek log buildings throughout the state, conduct or support research on log cabins, and—when necessary—save endangered log cabins from neglect, development, or vandalism. Through their efforts 9 endangered historic log structures have been studied and relocated to Agrarian Connections Farm where they have been reconstructed. We have also given advice to people who want to preserve log buildings they have on their properties.

Log buildings “at risk” include those which have been abandoned and are threatened by weather. Other log cabins are in the path of development, especially subdivisions and roadways, and need to be saved. Typically, we rely on citizens of Georgia to contact us if they own a log building or know of one in their area. If feasible, we respond by visiting the site and doing an assessment of historical value and salvageability. If you would like to learn more about how to help preserve a cabin you know about or own, please go to “donate a log building.”

We also use log structures as a window through which to teach Georgia history, land stewardship, and rural values. Each year, Dr. Rhoades teaches a historical ecology class at the University of Georgia. Students learn about the history of log buildings along with practical skills of construction of preservation. Educational tours are conducted at Agrarian Connections in which our save log buildings are shown to young and old alike. The Georgia Log Cabin project and the UGA class was the inspiration behind the production of the GPB documentary “The Georiga Log Cabin” produced by Bill Evelyn of the UGA Public Relations office (link with the UGA webpage).

Location/Map

The Georgia Log Cabin Project is based at the Agrarian Connections Farm near the small town of Crawford in Oglethorpe County, Georgia. All the restored log cabins are now located in the farm. Read more about the Agrarian Connections Farm >>

Aerial View of the Farm (source: USGS 1999)

 

Direction Map to the Farm in PDF version (from Athens)

Contact Information

Robert E. Rhoades
Executive Director
ATTN: Georgia Log Cabin Project
Agrarian Connections Heritage Farm
10 Legacy Rd.
Crawford, Georgia 30630
Email: prof-rrhoades-at-uga-edu-wihoutprof&dash
Phone: 706-542-1042