Log Buildings Preserved and Reconstructed

1. The Big Log House

This cabin was the first log house Dr. Rhoades acquired and reconstructed. While admirer of log buildings since childhood, he did not ever dream of finding a log building and making his own home. However, when he moved to Georgia and bought a 320 acre farm with no improvements, he needed a place to live. Since he sank most of his money into the land, he thought of buying a modern log kit which proved to be beyond his financial means. He noticed in the Georgia Market bulletin and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution ad for historic, hand-hewn log cabins. He followed up on several ads and in the process learned that Georgia and surrounding regions of neighboring states still possess many old log buildings on their original sites. This was the beginning of a desire to document the history of Georgia’s log cabins as well as preserve them for future generations. The Big Log house is from Tennessee, measures 35X20, and is built of poplar wood. Dr. Rhoades added on another cabin from Winder, Georgia (heart-pine).

2. Watkins Log House

Before

Being Restored

Dating from the 1830s, this log house is from South Fulton County, Georgia. It was built by Colonel Watkins who fought in the war of 1812 with the North Carolina Militia. In the late 1990s, the house was in the path of suburban development affecting the great Atlanta area. The house if built of heart pine and is 20X28 in dimension. Dr. Rhoades acquired the house, dismantled it, and brought it to Agrarian Connections farm where it has been reconstructed and preserved. The area around the house is being dedicated to preservation of southern heirloom apples and will be a site for demonstration of tools and skills associated with apple cultivation and use in the past.

 

3. Virginia’s Cabin

Before

Being Restored

Virginia’s cabin is from Floyd County, Georgia, and dates back prior to the Civil War. We have not determined who originally built this cabin but it was lived in up until the 1980s. Dr. Rhoades acquired the cabin, dismantled it, and brought it to Agrarian Connections where he reconstructed it for his wife. The Floyd County area, while still rural, is also being transformed by development and will likewise experience continuing loss of historic structures unless preservation efforts are undertaken.

 

4. German Cabin

Being Restored

The German cabin is identified by its German language markings for numbering the logs. Made of heart pine, it is a solid structure measuring 19X20 ft. one and half stories high. The cabin is from Appalachia and could have been used as a barn in its later years. Agrarian Connections acquired the cabin for placing on the 1800s pioneer site on the Trail of Time. The cabin was reconstructed by one of Dr. Rhoades’ UGA classes.

 

5. Whittington Log House

Before

Being Restored

The Whittington cabin was donated by Mr. Royce Whittington of Bainbridge, Georgia. Mr. Whittington had grown up in the cabin located in Worth County, Georgia. He had many fond memories and stories about his family and the log house and wanted to make sure it was preserved for future generations. Since the family decided to see the farm where the log house was located, he contacted Agrarian Connections and the Georgia Log Cabin project and donated the structure. Dr. Rhoades with students and helpers rescued the cabin and reconstructed it on Agrarian Connections Farm. The log home dates to around 1850 and is made of half-logs. The house was probably the first home of an early pioneer family in the area. Later, the farm was acquired by the Whittington family.