Log cabins are a symbol of the olden days. They bring to mind a roaring fire in the hearth and cooking good, simple food on cold nights as the wind whistles through the cracks in the logs. These humble dwellings were the only home some people would know their entire lives. For others, these were makeshift dwellings that offered temporary shelter in a new territory until a better home could be built.

Log cabins utilized one of the most abundant resources of the New World: timber. Homes made of brick or stone required entire communities to acquire and arrange the materials. But, with only a few people a log cabin could be built. This has made log cabins a symbol of westward expansion as well. Here we take a look at some log cabins from the old days, a rare sight in photos.

Log Cabin in Snow Surrounded by Tree Stumps
Cabin surrounded by tree stumps, 1872. Via: NYPL Digital Collections

Due to the construction costs and remote locations it simply wasn’t feasible to add a bunch of windows to these cabins for most people. Because of how dark they were inside with so few windows there aren’t a lot of photographs of the interiors of these homes today. However dim and breezy they may have been they were also havens in the wilderness for many folks.

In the photo above the darkness of these cabins is evident. One wall has only a door and another wall has only a single window. This lack of light made taking photographs inside a near-impossible feat, especially with early cameras that relied on lots of natural light for the photos to turn out.

Cabin with Stone Hearth
The stone hearth of a log cabin, circa 1895. Via: Library of Congress
Cozy Log Cabin with Fire in Hearth
A fire, a dog, and a fiddle in case you want music. Notice the daylight coming in at the corners of this old log cabin. Via: Frances Benjamin Johnston/Library of Congress
Slab Sides Log Cabin
The rustic log cabin of nature writer John Burroughs. Via: Kellogg & Innes/Library of Congress

A later cabin with more windows is shown above, complete with some rustic branch decorations around the hearth. These features are lovely and charming, but most folks who lived in cabins would not have been able to afford such luxuries for their homes.

Log Cabin with Paneled Walls
Log cabins that were lived in for a long time might have eventually been wallpapered on the inside, or paneled as in this cabin. Via: Russell Lee/Library of Congress

Some log cabins used a combination of milled lumber and rustic timber, making the most of whatever wood was available. The planed wood planks also added some much-welcomed refinement to these rustic cabins.

Making bread in a log cabin
Making bread inside a log cabin. Notice the open kitchen shelving built onto the wall. Via: IMLS Digital Collections & Content/Flickr
Buckboard Charlie at Cabin Stove
The famous squatter Buckboard Charlie at a log cabin stove. Via: Russell Lee/Library of Congress

While many early log cabins relied on hearths made of stone, later cabins used cast iron stoves made possible by industrial processes. They were very heavy, but were small enough to be carried in a sturdy wagon or shipped across the country by train. And, they didn’t require a knowledge of masonry to install, unlike traditional hearths.

These cabins had their down sides, but they also could be quite cozy and inviting. Do you think you could live in an old fashioned log cabin?
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