Tag Archives: Georgia Log Structures

Kirby-Quinton Cabin, 1830s or 1860s, Jasper

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This single-pen log house was originally located on Dunbean Hill on the Old Federal Road between Jasper and Tate. Dunbean Hill was named for Charles “Tsali” Dunbean, a Cherokee who was forced to relocate to Oklahoma in 1838 during the Cherokee Removal. It is thought that he was the builder of the cabin, which would likely date it in its original form to the mid-1830s. The Dunbean Hill property was purchased in 1862 by Stephen Kirby who established the first school in Pickens County, known as Kirby Academy. Around 1870, Kirby expanded the cabin to accommodate his growing family.

Former Congressman Ed Jenkins discovered the log cabin among the ruins of a burned out house on Dunbean Hill and gave the remains to Tom Quinton, a Jasper County Middle School teacher, who restored it for future use as an educational site. After Quinton’s death, the cabin was moved to this location.

Lyon Farm, 1820s, DeKalb County

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Side view of Lyon House, showing attached kitchen and restored smokehouse

The house pictured above originated as a log cabin, built by Joseph Emmanuel Lyon in the 1820s. It was expanded in 1853 and again in 1893, when it took on its present appearance. It is one of the oldest houses in DeKalb County and Lyon family descendants remained on the property until 2007. Slaves from the early days of the farm remained in the area and later established the Flat Rock community nearby.

Front Elevation

The house is reminiscent of the Plantation Plain style, but with two bays on one side and one bay on the other, is a bit unusual in its layout.

Gate posts

The gateposts are local granite, as are the boundary stones and flower bed areas.

Raised flower bed

Grape arbors were common features of many farms; this one was likely added in the 20th century.

Grape arbor

The historic smokehouse, thought to be the oldest overall structure on the farm, was recently restored.

Lyon smokehouse

Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area

Single-Pen Log House, Emanuel County

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I find a few of these amazing vernacular landmarks in my travels, and sometimes they have been moved and are used as everything from barns to hunting lodges. They also usually contain an added room, for obvious reasons. This one appears to have been recently exposed by the cleaning of brush and likely has always been at this location.

Batton Farm, Ben Hill County

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This focal point of this farm is the old central hallway house, which was expanded a couple of times over the years.

A couple of outbuildings survive on the property.

Tobacco barn
Corn crib

Double-Pen Log Farmhouse, Laurens County

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This house features a preacher’s room and a shed room across the back. This was a typical evolution of single- and double-pen houses as families grew and needed more space.

Gabled-Ell Farmhouse, Montgomery County

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This is a nice exampled of the common gabled-ell vernacular style of the late 19th and early 20th centuries in Georgia. An historic log smokehouse also survives on the property.

Thompson House, Circa 1880, Tattnall County

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The original part of this structure was recently revealed when asbestos siding was removed. I’ve driven past it numerous times over the years and always believed it to be “older” than it looked. Thanks to Raven Waters for making me aware of the work being done; I’m unsure if it will be saved.

It has obviously been modified over time, with the higher roof line and chimney being later additions, though the chimney is made of handmade brick, indicating that the changes were made many years ago. It’s possible that the windows and/or door were cut out of the earlier structure. Most surviving houses of this type in Georgia date to the late 19th-early 20th centuries.

Hughes Thompson writes: This was the home of my great-grandparents William Jackson Thompson (1855-1922) and Margaret Jordan Thompson (1857-1934). The house was in the Thompson family, off and on, for over 100 years. I do not know exactly when the house was built but they were living in that location staring in about 1880.

O’Berry Tobacco Barn, Sandy Bottom

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This is a truly amazing example of an early-20th-century log tobacco barn. It likely dates to the 1930s.