Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1938-04-14

and. then and there would be re-
vival Of religious interest. They
took their religion seriously.
The best place to build cabin
was close to good spring, SO as to
insure a plentiful supply. of water.
The walls were usually from seven
to- eight feet at the caves and from
Is to Is feet square was the average
size Of the cabin. Later a lean-to
or shed might be built on as the
family increased. 1t was not until
many years later that two-storied
cabins were built When some OF
the people from the southern part
Of the country came into the terri
tory, they brought a new type of
cabin. 1t was really two cabins
built close together with the space
was known as a ''dog trot." A short
distance from the rear of the main
cabin another smaller one was built
which was used as the kitchen, no
cooking being done in the main
structure.
The roof was made of clapboards.
about five feet long, split from
straight grained oak and held IN
place by poles laid across them,
hold them down.
The spaces between the logs in
the walls were chinked with mud,
and as the rain would wash this
out the chinking had to be renewed
frequently. A doorway was cut or
| left, but often there as no door, SO
a deer or buffalo hide was hung
there to act as door. At first
there was no glass to make Win
cred with paper soaked with grease,
or in rare Instances, filled with a
frame on which had been stretched
the intestines of some animal.
My grandfather, E. NJ Stanbery,
came from large and very poor
family, and I recall his telling me
the first time he ever saw glass used
as a window.
The fireplace was about half the
size of one end of the cabin and
usually the main part was built out
side. 1t was of green sticks laid lip
with mud, and when stone Was
available it was built of stone,
using mud as mOrter.
The oven was either built in one
side of the fireplace or iron pots
called Dutch ovens" were used for
baking. And these same Dutch
ovens are used today in the south
the fireplace were attached iron
arms swung on hinges so pots could
be hung on them and swung back
into the fireplace for cooking.
worked a part of two years in south.
ern Arizona and northern Old Mex
leo and we used this same equip.
ment for our cooking and baking.
Sometimes loft was arranged
over the main room of the cabic
and it was here the boys were stow
ed away. 1t was cold in winter anC
hot in summer Against the cell
, ing was hung the different herbs
used by the women for medicina
purposes, and also pumpkin wa.
sliced up to dry and apples an(
other fruits were dried and hung in
sacks. If there was no separate
smoke house, the hams and bacoI
would be hung here also, and l car
going to a certain place in the coun
try when a youngster, as they al
ways had chunk of beef, cured il
sweet brine and hung up to dry
and we would take knife and slice
eff piece to chew on. AS there
was but one room in the cabin, deel
skins were hung up for partitions
The floors We're first of dirt wei
Watered and packed and covered
with deer and bear skins, later
floors were made of puncheons.
In the better cabins would be
found some few pieces Of furniture
that had been brought over thi
mountains; but the larger part of il
was home made and consisted of {
bed or two, table and some bench
es for chairs. These pieces of fur
niture that were brought over the
mountains are today our most priz
ed antiques.
A large and a small spinning
wheel was to be found in every
cabin. The women wove the clotl
and made all the clothing. A few
dishes of pewter or earthenwart
We're to be found, but bowls made
from the buckeye or sycamore wer,
more common.
(No part of these articles may b,
reproduced without the written per
mission of the publisher.)