The Small Log Cabin – A Beautiful One Century And A Half Old Story

We have used you to showing modern tiny houses mostly that defy physical limits to qualify for what they are in the end – living places. Today we will take a look at a two story home, made from wood more than a century and a half ago and which is luring tourists these days in a rural area in the state of Iowa. The small log cabin tells its story with a grace hard to find in other bigger living places. Pictures and description come via Smallhousebliss.com

This hand-hewn log cabin is on its third life. After serving as a school and a residence, it fell into disrepair. The present owner has restored the small cabin, preserving a piece of Midwest history, and now uses it as a vacation rental.

The small log cabin – coming to life for a third time

According to the owner, the log cabin was built in the 1850s as a schoolhouse by Norwegian-Lutheran settlers. A few decades later, the school was turned into a home by a Norwegian immigrant. First though, he had to disassemble the structure, haul the pieces across a field, and rebuild it. It remained in use as a residence until the late 1970s, after which it sat empty for three decades.

Like the immigrant settler a hundred years before, the new owner had to take the cabin apart and move it to his farm just outside Decorah, Iowa. He salvaged as much as possible, right down to the foundation stones. Then began a three-year process of putting it all back together on its new site, a bluff with views of the Trout River valley.

Entering the small cabin from the front porch, the living/dining area is to the left. To the right, the stairs are in the front corner and the kitchen is in the back corner. In between is a two-piece bathroom. The cabin does have a shower too, but that is upstairs in the bedroom.

The small log cabin – functional interiors, with a feel of fairy tale