Scenes from a Forgotten Log House in Bath County, Kentucky

One of the most rewarding aspects of my profession (and there are many) is the mandate to explore. Back roads, dirt roads, fording creeks, and braving masses of honeysuckle, poison ivy, and bindweed, can result in unexpected treasures. Many years ago, I spent a hot summer documenting historic resources in Bath County, Kentucky – a project that remains a favorite to this day. I’ve often longed to go back and discover if any of the forgotten buildings I “found” are still standing, but sometimes I think it is better to not know their fate.

Single pen log house, Bath County, Kentucky.

So I satisfy my nostalgic curiosity by looking through my photographs.  August really isn’t the best month to wade through dense vegetation, and since the Pandemic, my ability to wander at will has been greatly curtailed.

Second story hearth.

During the European-American settlement period (approximately 1785-1824) in Kentucky, many houses were most commonly of log construction. These houses were either square or rectangular in plan.

Looking at the three bay wide facade wall from the interior.

Single room – also called single pen – log houses over time usually gained a log addition, or frame additions, which is a typical expansion method for log houses. Additions could be added to either side of the existing log house, or to the front or back. An addition extending out to the rear of the house is called an “ell” addition.

Winder stair in corner of the room, with storage space underneath the stairs, and a door (at far left) leading into the frame ell addition.

This V-notched log house dates from the first half of the 19th century, and perhaps from the first quarter of the century. It rests on a dry laid stone foundation down a rutted dirt path, alongside a creek. The space between the logs is filled with stone chinking.

Rear elevation of the house. The one story portion is a later addition of frame (milled lumber rather than logs) construction.

A large stone chimney, partially collapsed, anchors one gable end of the house. This would have been the sole heat source for the log portion of the house.

Mantel and hearth on the first floor. The fire box has been filled in with brick to accommodate burning coal later in the 19th century.

The interior of the log house had been plastered, and layers of wallpaper whispered of generations of residents stamping their own mark upon the interior.

A batten door and crumbling wallpaper.

I encountered dozens of houses like this during that long-ago hot and humid summer. Most of these houses had been wilting and empty for decades by the time I saw them and are likely just now a pile of wood and stones in a tangle of trees and vines.