![]() ![]() ![]() Thus, as with many things in Appalachia, the log structures reflect a synthesis of several cultural traditions. However, although the Scots-Irish and English used the German construction techniques, the layout of the homes they built followed the pattern of homes in England and Northern Ireland. Many German immigrants settled in Pennsylvania and the early settlers in Southern Appalachia brought with them the techniques of log construction that they learned from their German neighbors there. The tradition of building log homes was introduced to America primarily by settlers from Germany and Scandinavia. It is important to remember that building log homes was not part of the folk tradition of the Scots-Irish, English, or other immigrants from the British Isles. Most of these early settlers came down the Great Wagon Road from Pennsylvania through the Shenandoah Valley and the Yadkin Valley. As Professor Roach explains, “A large proportion of early European settlers in Southern Appalachia were of Scots-Irish descent, with significant numbers of English, and smaller numbers of Scots, French, German, Welsh, Irish, and Dutch. When they first settled in the colonies and lands now a part of New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania and Maryland, they used this background knowledge, along with a plentiful forest supply, to build log cabin homes.Įven though it wasn’t necessarily native to their homeland, Scottish and Irish immigrants adopted this tradition of log building as they settled in new world as well. Thus, immigrants from these northern European countries brought their knowledge of log building construction with them to the new world. Northern Europe, Scandinavia, and Russia have long been known to use logs to construct houses, barns and other outdoor buildings as these regions had large quantities of softwood timber that could be manipulated with simple hand tools. The exact origin of the log cabin is not certain, however it is likely that people began constructing them as long ago as the Bronze Age (c. History of the Log Cabin in the United States and Eastern Tennessee Log cabins did not die out with the pioneer era, in fact the mystique was cemented in the American psyche and guests and visitors to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park region can continue to be a part of this pioneer tradition by learning about and experiencing the log cabin life. People are usually seeking solitude and simple living, happy to escape the clamor and buzz of busy contemporary life. So whether hiking to a remote historic cabin in the woods or renting a modern vacation cabin, often the goal is the same. Historic log cabins and modern cabins today speak to this folklife and folklore of American frontier life. It is also not surprising that I have seen log buildings in the Carpathian Mountains of Eastern Europe that are very similar to those in Appalachia, as these two regions share similar forested, highland landscapes.” Thus, the log cabin reflects the environment and the lifestyle of early frontier life in Appalachia. Over time, the log cabin also became associated in popular culture with the Appalachian region.” He continues, “We often overlook the fact that the architecture of homes is an important part of folk life, just as much as arts, crafts, music, and oral tradition. Chair and Professor, Appalachian Studies – East Tennessee State University concurs, “The log cabin certainly became a quintessential symbol of American frontier life and simple origins, popularized through political campaigns, most notably that of William Henry Harrison in 1839. People hark to this idea of interpreting the yeoman existence, a purist existence even though it’s much romanticized.” For many Americans it’s those ideas of a self-made person making a structure that is self-sustaining. In Southern Appalachia, log cabins helped to provide everything a pioneer needed: a sturdy shelter from the elements and a simple, self-sufficient lifestyle.Īs, Heath Bailey- Park Archeologist for Great Smoky Mountains National Park expounds, “ DIY ethic and serves as a symbol of rugged individualism, the ability of an individual to tame wild space and make a life from that. ![]() These rustic wood structures seem to tell stories of the self-made man proclaiming his ability to combat and survive the harsh elements of the wild. It evokes a certain nostalgia of simpler days of yore and represents the essence of rugged individualism that shaped our country. ![]()
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