Backcountry Notes

Replica of Lincoln log cabin. Click on image for source and licensing information.Kentucky lays claim to the most famous of log cabins -- the one in which Abraham Lincoln was born.  In the early days of Kentucky, log cabins were abundant throughout the state, and a few of these survived to be photographed in the early 20th century.  Also in this collection of vintage images -- two log cabins under construction in 1940 in East Kentucky, where the old ways die hard.

Note: click on any image below for a larger view. All images below are from the Library of Congress archives.

Log cabin, Breathitt County, KY, photographed in 1940.Kentucky mountain log cabin (1)Kentucky mountain log cabin (2)Kentucky mountain log cabin -- corner construction detailLog cabin on roadway in Breathitt County, KYLog cabin near Morehead, Kentucky.Log cabin on the South Fork of the Kentucky RiverLog house in Coalins Forest preserve between Tennessee and Cumberland rivers.Log cabin in ruins near Whitehall, Kentucky.One-room log schoolhouse.Hand-hewn steps (from another schoolhouse).Log cabin under construction in Breathitt County, KY, 1940.Laying floor boards of log cabin in Breathitt County.Log cabin under construction in Rowan County, Kentucky, in 1940.View of corner. log cabin under construction in Rowan County, Kentucky.Closeup of peeled logs and joints, log cabin under construction in Rowan County, Kentucky.