Architecture, Colonial; Architecture, Domestic -- North Carolina; Historic buildings -- North Carolina
[Illustration: FIGURE 16. LOG CABIN, SOUTHERN PINES.]
[Illustration: FIGURE 17. LOG CABIN, SOUTHERN PINES.]
The Sanders cabin is a restoration project of the Moore County
Historical Association. The Association took the cabin from its original
country site and moved it to Southern Pines. The chimney had fallen
down, but the stones were picked up and are used in the present chimney.
The cabin is on the grounds of the Shaw house, an early 19th-century
home. It seems appropriate that the old cabin should be sited on the
property of the later house, for this was the practice of the early
settlers. After out-growing their first cabin home, they would build a
larger house, continuing to utilize the original cabin for cooking,
weaving, and other purposes.
In the close-up photograph of the door and wall of the cabin may be seen
a latch cord hanging from the door. A row of rafter ends shows just
above the door. One rafter end is missing on the right; this marks the
point where an inside stair rose to the loft. The present stair and the
flooring of the cabin were taken from another old house.
The Blair-McCormack house, near High Point (figures 18, 19 and 20),
presents some further ideas about log houses. This building is the Enos
Blair log cabin, constructed around 1750, later enlarged, and now the
Jimmy McCormack house. The original cabin is surrounded by porches front
and back, and additions on the left and right sides. At first glance the
house seems quite recent and unremarkable; old log houses do not always
reveal themselves in first casual view.
The logs of the cabin are joined as shown in the sketch, figure 19. This
joint shows brilliant structural development beyond the simple saddle
joint seen in previous examples. The craftsman who chopped the squared
log ends had great skill as he cut the intricate geometrical teeth which
lock together so securely and accurately. One can imagine him at
work:—he would cut a joint and lay the log in place. If the joint
fit—fine. If it did not quite fit, he would remove the log and make
further necessary cuts. This type of joint sheds water very well.
[Illustration: FIGURE 18. BLAIR-MCCORMACK, HOUSE NEAR HIGH POINT.]
[Illustration: FIGURE 19. DETAIL.]
Because of the side additions to the Enos Blair cabin, nowhere around
the present house can one see two outside walls as shown in our sketch.
However, other cabins in North Carolina do show the complete joint as
drawn.
The plan of the original cabin is given in figure 20. It shows what we
have not seen before, a chimney completely inside of the house. The
chimney, thus protected from rain, is laid with clay mortar. A narrow
stairway at one side of the chimney winds up to the loft above. On this
stairway the visitor is face to face with the great chimney, and can
scoop out a sample of “mortar” with his finger nail, proving that the
stones were indeed laid in clay.
[Illustration: FIGURE 20. PLAN.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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