Authentic log cabin structures dot the countryside here in Northeast Tennessee. Regardless of how many I see, regardless of the state of disrepair, I have a love affair with each one. My imagination runs wild with visions of the people who constructed them and the conditions under which they worked - selecting then cutting down trees, struggling to pull the cut wood to the building site, lifting and cutting each beam to a proper fit...
I think of the women who worked in the fields, prepared meals under crude conditions, gave birth to their babies as cold winds blew through roughly fit areas in the cabin walls. Imagine living in a one room home, bedding down at night with babies and, possibly, your inlaws just a few feet away. Imagine trying to sleep with the sound of wild animals howling in the distance or possibly trying to claw their way into your home and trusting that the structure your husband prepared for you was strong enough to withstand strong bear claws.
Well, this is not one of those cabins but I love it, just the same. Some craftsperson spent a lot of time putting this (roughly 2-feet high) cabin together, trying to replicate the days of so long ago.
The inside of the cabin is equipped with a stairway leading up to a small loft with a tiny bed. Downstairs is a diminutive wood cook stove, a table and two chairs, even tiny canned goods. Can you see the two sacks of flour?
The interior doesn't photograph well; the roof is not removable nor are any of the walls detachable. I took these pictures by maneuvering my camera lens through the front door and windows.
And, alas, as adults all know we can't keep everything we love. So, tomorrow this will go to Elizabethton, TN to the Corner Nest and will have a temporary home in one of our booths there. I hope whoever takes it home will be able to love it for a long, long time.
