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The History of the Structures in Log Cabin Heritage Park
Log Cabin Heritage Park is an open-air achitectural museum of log houses which was established to preserve the folk architecture of the Kickapoo Valley. The park is located next to the Crawford County Fairgrounds in Gays Mills. The park includes six log structures along a spring fed creek, two shelters, grills, restrooms, volleyball court, horse-shoe facilities, ball diamond, swimming pool and childrens playground.
The Log Cabin Heritage Society was formed in 1996 as a sub-chapter of the Crawford County Heritage Society to repair and maintain the Log Cabin Heritage Park.
The Crawford County Historical Society planned and established the Log Cabin Park in Gays Mills about 26 years ago. The Village of Gays Mills granted use of the land on the site of an old saw mill.
Sketches by Shirley Northern
The McCann House
The McCann house was originally built as a granary on the NW 1/4 of the NE 1/4 of Section 29, Township 10 North, Range 5 West in the Town of Seneca, Crawford County, Wisconsin (Copper Creek Valley). The original homestead entry on this 40 acres of land was made on December 11, 1855, by Ingebret Peterson, who was born in Norway and emigrated to America in 1847. Ingebret made improvements on this land, and after having lived there for four years, he received a patent on it from the United States Government on October 28, 1859. He enlisted into military service in the Civil War on the 16th day of February, 1865, and served in the Union Army for 7 months and 4 days. He was mustered out of the service on the 27th day of September, 1865. His wife, Maria, died July 2, 1866, leaving him with four young children ranging in age from 4 years to 9 years. He sold his homestead to Cornelius Kane on September 24, 1867, and later moved to Miner County , South Dakota where he died and is buried.
Cornelius Kane lived on Ingebret’s homestead for six years and then sold it on March 17, 1873, to Ellen Bird. The land was owned by Ellen Bird until February 28, 1895, when she sold it to her daughter, Mary (Bird) McCann. Mary McCann and her husband, John J. McCann, had three children: John L., Mary Ellen (“Nellie”) and Thomas F. Around 1909 the house in which the McCann family was living was destroyed by fire, and they moved into the granary and made that their home. On June 4, 1938, Mary’s son, Thomas L., bought the farm from his mother, and he, his brother and his sister continued to live on the farm. Thomas died intestate on July 6, 1955, and on February 15, 1956 his brother and his sister, John L. and Mary Ellen, inherited the farm in equal shares. John L. died intestate on April 14, 1962, and Mary Ellen inherited the farm. May 11, 1962 Roger and Robert Sime purchased the cabin and land from Mary Ellen. October 21, 1966 Robert and Lila Sime purchased Roger’s share of the property. The house was donated to the Crawford County Historical Society by Robert and Lila Sime and it was moved to the Log Cabin Park.
It is not known for sure who built the McCann House, but full dovetailing corner notches were used in its construction. This type of corner notching was characteristic of log houses built by Norwegian immigrants, and Ingebret Peterson was the only Norwegian immigrant who owned this land during the period when log houses were being constructed.
The Matti Hen House
Samuel Matti came to this country from Switzerland when he was 18. He met Kathryn Adams from New Jersey when he was mining gold in Montana. They decided to settle southwest of Eastman on DuCharme Creek in 1880. Harrison Matti remembers when he, his brother, George, and Sam, their father, built this log corn crib in 1905. They built it out of butternut logs. In addition to storing corn, this building was used to break up setting hens. Hens that weren’t producing would be locked in here for 4 to 5 days without water and with very little feed. This got them laying again.
Sam Matti’s specialty in farming was a terribly big garden, but he also raised cows, pigs, bees and sorghum. It was not unusual in those days (1910) to have Indians camping on Matti land. Nettie Matti remembers when a cow got into the clover, became bloated and died. Just as they were about to bury it, some Indians came up and wanted to buy it. The Indians were glad because it meant that they would have meat for the winter. This hen house was donated by Charles Tresch who had purchased the land from Kathryn Matti.
The Barker Cabin
This cabin was built without a fireplace for Charles Barker and Lucy Twining, who were married in 1877. Charles Barker came from Illinois and Lucy Twining lived with her parents, the George Robert Twinings. Lucy was an only daughter with four brothers—Mahlon, Riley, Bob, and Fred. Rob was the father of Etta, Lucy, Mary, and Cora (Montgomery Nelson).
The only child of Charles and Lucy Barker was Eva, born in 1878. Eva married Frank Brown and they had seven children: four boys—Harold, Charles, Waldo, and Fredrick; and three girls—Della, Elizabeth, and Laura. Eva and Frank Brown lived in this log house until 1902.
The cabin, which was built with pegs, was dismantled, logs were numbered, and in July of 1971 it was moved to this location. Here it was reconstructed as the original with an addition of a fireplace.
The Tucker-O'Brien Log Cabin
This cabin was built in 1852 by Thomas Tucker, who brought his family from Massachusetts that year and settled in the township of Eastman. In 1867, Hannah, the widow of Thomas Tucker, and his children deeded the property to Michael Donahue, the husband of a Tucker daughter, Katherine. The Donahues resided there until Mr. Donahue’s death when the widow went to reside with a son, Joe, an Eastman carpenter.
In 1926, Lawarence Swaatek purchased the land and home from the Donahue heirs. Over a period of years other acreage had been added to the farm. Lawrence Swatek and his wife, Gladys, added rooms to the home and covered the original log cabin with wood siding as their family grew.
Aloyd O’Brien and his wife, Marie, acquired the cabin from Gladys Swatek in 1964 after the death of her husband. Their son, Dale O’Brien, his wife, Mary, and their two children lived there a short while. Wayne O’Brien, and his wife, Bernadette came into possession of the farm shortly thereafter. The house was rented to various tenants.
In 1979, Dennis O’Brien, son of Wayne and Bernadette, married Marlene Prew. The O’Briens gave the newlyweds the cabin and some land. The home was being razed when Virginia O’Brien, aunt of Wayne, came upon the scene. She urged them to contact Leita Slayton, as she knew of Leita’s Log Cabin project at Gays Mills, and the historical value of the cabin. As a result, the cabin was painstakingly disassembled, the parts were carefully labeled, and it was moved to Gays Mills; where it was later rebuilt on this site.
The Nederlo Granary
Jens Nederlo came over from the old country (Norway) with his wife, Ragnild, and his children, Ole and Lena. Another son, Ever Nederlo, was born in a log cabin near Mt. Sterling. This granary was built by Ever in the 1890’s It was used for storing oats, wheat, buckwheat and beans. Ever always grew wheat until he quit farming in 1920 to become a blacksmith in Mt. Sterling. In 1933, the farm was bought by Ever’s oldest son, Edwin. In 1969, it was purchased by the county for a recreational area. This granary was donated to the Log Cabin Village by Crawford County.
The Wauzeka Ridge School House
When Ferdinand Weniger settled in Plum Creek near Wauzeka, he raised quite a family and donated some land for a school, but there weren’t enough settlers in the area to justify a school. In the 1850’s the Dolls settled on Wauzeka Ridge. They also had a big family and also donated land for a school. Finally, due to the increased population of the area, a joint school district was formed (District #8) drawing students from Wauzeka (34) and Eastman (16). This log school building was built for these 50 students. It was a one room school house serving eight grades with one teacher.
Throughout the years several changes in the building were mandated by the state. A porch was added with two doors and more windows were installed. Finally, in 1940, with the consolidation of the school districts, this school house was abandoned. It was then used to store grain and corn until it was donated to the Log Cabin Village by Paul Doll. The cabin was moved in 1978.
The Log Cabin Heritage Society was formed in 1996 as a sub-chapter of the Crawford County Heritage Society to repair and maintain the Log Cabin Heritage Park.
The Crawford County Historical Society planned and established the Log Cabin Park in Gays Mills about 26 years ago. The Village of Gays Mills granted use of the land on the site of an old saw mill.
Sketches by Shirley Northern
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The McCann House
The McCann house was originally built as a granary on the NW 1/4 of the NE 1/4 of Section 29, Township 10 North, Range 5 West in the Town of Seneca, Crawford County, Wisconsin (Copper Creek Valley). The original homestead entry on this 40 acres of land was made on December 11, 1855, by Ingebret Peterson, who was born in Norway and emigrated to America in 1847. Ingebret made improvements on this land, and after having lived there for four years, he received a patent on it from the United States Government on October 28, 1859. He enlisted into military service in the Civil War on the 16th day of February, 1865, and served in the Union Army for 7 months and 4 days. He was mustered out of the service on the 27th day of September, 1865. His wife, Maria, died July 2, 1866, leaving him with four young children ranging in age from 4 years to 9 years. He sold his homestead to Cornelius Kane on September 24, 1867, and later moved to Miner County , South Dakota where he died and is buried.
Cornelius Kane lived on Ingebret’s homestead for six years and then sold it on March 17, 1873, to Ellen Bird. The land was owned by Ellen Bird until February 28, 1895, when she sold it to her daughter, Mary (Bird) McCann. Mary McCann and her husband, John J. McCann, had three children: John L., Mary Ellen (“Nellie”) and Thomas F. Around 1909 the house in which the McCann family was living was destroyed by fire, and they moved into the granary and made that their home. On June 4, 1938, Mary’s son, Thomas L., bought the farm from his mother, and he, his brother and his sister continued to live on the farm. Thomas died intestate on July 6, 1955, and on February 15, 1956 his brother and his sister, John L. and Mary Ellen, inherited the farm in equal shares. John L. died intestate on April 14, 1962, and Mary Ellen inherited the farm. May 11, 1962 Roger and Robert Sime purchased the cabin and land from Mary Ellen. October 21, 1966 Robert and Lila Sime purchased Roger’s share of the property. The house was donated to the Crawford County Historical Society by Robert and Lila Sime and it was moved to the Log Cabin Park.
It is not known for sure who built the McCann House, but full dovetailing corner notches were used in its construction. This type of corner notching was characteristic of log houses built by Norwegian immigrants, and Ingebret Peterson was the only Norwegian immigrant who owned this land during the period when log houses were being constructed.
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The Matti Hen House
Samuel Matti came to this country from Switzerland when he was 18. He met Kathryn Adams from New Jersey when he was mining gold in Montana. They decided to settle southwest of Eastman on DuCharme Creek in 1880. Harrison Matti remembers when he, his brother, George, and Sam, their father, built this log corn crib in 1905. They built it out of butternut logs. In addition to storing corn, this building was used to break up setting hens. Hens that weren’t producing would be locked in here for 4 to 5 days without water and with very little feed. This got them laying again.
Sam Matti’s specialty in farming was a terribly big garden, but he also raised cows, pigs, bees and sorghum. It was not unusual in those days (1910) to have Indians camping on Matti land. Nettie Matti remembers when a cow got into the clover, became bloated and died. Just as they were about to bury it, some Indians came up and wanted to buy it. The Indians were glad because it meant that they would have meat for the winter. This hen house was donated by Charles Tresch who had purchased the land from Kathryn Matti.
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The Barker Cabin
This cabin was built without a fireplace for Charles Barker and Lucy Twining, who were married in 1877. Charles Barker came from Illinois and Lucy Twining lived with her parents, the George Robert Twinings. Lucy was an only daughter with four brothers—Mahlon, Riley, Bob, and Fred. Rob was the father of Etta, Lucy, Mary, and Cora (Montgomery Nelson).
The only child of Charles and Lucy Barker was Eva, born in 1878. Eva married Frank Brown and they had seven children: four boys—Harold, Charles, Waldo, and Fredrick; and three girls—Della, Elizabeth, and Laura. Eva and Frank Brown lived in this log house until 1902.
The cabin, which was built with pegs, was dismantled, logs were numbered, and in July of 1971 it was moved to this location. Here it was reconstructed as the original with an addition of a fireplace.
 |
The Tucker-O'Brien Log Cabin
This cabin was built in 1852 by Thomas Tucker, who brought his family from Massachusetts that year and settled in the township of Eastman. In 1867, Hannah, the widow of Thomas Tucker, and his children deeded the property to Michael Donahue, the husband of a Tucker daughter, Katherine. The Donahues resided there until Mr. Donahue’s death when the widow went to reside with a son, Joe, an Eastman carpenter.
In 1926, Lawarence Swaatek purchased the land and home from the Donahue heirs. Over a period of years other acreage had been added to the farm. Lawrence Swatek and his wife, Gladys, added rooms to the home and covered the original log cabin with wood siding as their family grew.
Aloyd O’Brien and his wife, Marie, acquired the cabin from Gladys Swatek in 1964 after the death of her husband. Their son, Dale O’Brien, his wife, Mary, and their two children lived there a short while. Wayne O’Brien, and his wife, Bernadette came into possession of the farm shortly thereafter. The house was rented to various tenants.
In 1979, Dennis O’Brien, son of Wayne and Bernadette, married Marlene Prew. The O’Briens gave the newlyweds the cabin and some land. The home was being razed when Virginia O’Brien, aunt of Wayne, came upon the scene. She urged them to contact Leita Slayton, as she knew of Leita’s Log Cabin project at Gays Mills, and the historical value of the cabin. As a result, the cabin was painstakingly disassembled, the parts were carefully labeled, and it was moved to Gays Mills; where it was later rebuilt on this site.
 |
The Nederlo Granary
Jens Nederlo came over from the old country (Norway) with his wife, Ragnild, and his children, Ole and Lena. Another son, Ever Nederlo, was born in a log cabin near Mt. Sterling. This granary was built by Ever in the 1890’s It was used for storing oats, wheat, buckwheat and beans. Ever always grew wheat until he quit farming in 1920 to become a blacksmith in Mt. Sterling. In 1933, the farm was bought by Ever’s oldest son, Edwin. In 1969, it was purchased by the county for a recreational area. This granary was donated to the Log Cabin Village by Crawford County.
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The Wauzeka Ridge School House
When Ferdinand Weniger settled in Plum Creek near Wauzeka, he raised quite a family and donated some land for a school, but there weren’t enough settlers in the area to justify a school. In the 1850’s the Dolls settled on Wauzeka Ridge. They also had a big family and also donated land for a school. Finally, due to the increased population of the area, a joint school district was formed (District #8) drawing students from Wauzeka (34) and Eastman (16). This log school building was built for these 50 students. It was a one room school house serving eight grades with one teacher.
Throughout the years several changes in the building were mandated by the state. A porch was added with two doors and more windows were installed. Finally, in 1940, with the consolidation of the school districts, this school house was abandoned. It was then used to store grain and corn until it was donated to the Log Cabin Village by Paul Doll. The cabin was moved in 1978.
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The Altenburg-Zweifel Corn Crib
This corn crib was built without the use of nails by Henry Altenburg in 1890 in Bush Hollow near Wauzeka. His daughter, Helena, married Fred Zweifel and they and their nine children farmed the original Altenburg homestead. For a while, it was called Goose Hollow because they raised so many geese and shipped them to Chicago markets.
The corn crib was donated by Herman and Marie Zweifel. Herman delivered it completely intact.