Dublin's Log Houses

Dublin, platted by John Sells and John Shields about 1810, is one of Franklin County's oldest settlements. According to legend, Shields, an Irishman, named the community for his nation's most prominent city. About 1812, when the Ohio legislature chose to move the state capitol from Chillicothe to a more centrally located city, Dublin was briefly a contender. Despite recent suburban growth, Dublin retains quite a few of its early buildings, two or three of which are log.

Sands House

A standard single pen log building, now vacant. The gable-end entrance is certainly an alteration, as is the shed-roofed dormer. This home retains no original interior features, though, according to a 1976 Ohio Historic Inventory form, its "log construction [is] visible in [the] attic." In 1872, the heirs of one J. Sands owned this lot. Precisely who erected the home, and when, will likely remain a mystery.

The sill is half-dovetailed. Note the faux "foundation," visible to the left; this house, like most log structures, rests atop stone blocks placed at the corners.

Black Horse Tavern

Though several books label this a log building, the Ohio Historic Inventory describes it as, simply, "frame." Eliud Sells, son of Dublin's founder, built (or enlarged) the structure about 1842; the log section, if it indeed exists, may predate the 1840s. The name "Black Horse Tavern" has been applied to multiple Dublin buildings (one being Sells' house, an 1824 stone structure), the earliest of which was no doubt constructed of logs.

The exposed firebox enjoyed its greatest popularity during the Federal era (in Ohio, roughly 1800–1835).

Board House

This home, though early, receives scant mention in city histories; indeed, Dublin's first Ohio Historic Inventory survey, completed in 1975 and 1976, overlooked it entirely, and one later survey misidentified its construction date as "circa 1910." Whether it is truly a log house — or simply a frame building with unusually deep thresholds — I can't say with certainty.

The small, off-center window, barely visible to the left of the conifer, is a feature standard to early 19th century homes.

Binegar (?) Log House

Perry Township, Fayette County, Ohio

In south-central Fayette County, Ohio, near the unincorporated community of Buena Vista, lie the ruins of a small log home; the structure remained standing, albeit precariously, until at least 2012.

Its history is somewhat mysterious; the 1875 Illustrated Historical Atlas of Fayette County, Ohio, omits the home. Perhaps it was moved from another locality.

George W. Binegar (1827–1886); a native of Virginia, like most of the county's early residents; owned the 30-acre property in 1875. By 1913, ownership had passed to one R. Jones (either Randolph or Robert), who farmed a mere ten acres.

Though diminutive, the building was well-built. Note the steeple notching, intact daubing, firebox opening, and clay pipe (for an interior stove, which replaced the fireplace). The firebox itself, barely visible, is of stone construction; the chimney was brick. A partition wall divided the plastered interior into two rooms of equal size.

Vacant, little-modified log buildings, many abandoned during and shortly after the Great Depression, weren't an uncommon sight in post-World War II Ohio. Most of these homes, alas, have disappeared; the majority of Ohio's extant log structures remain occupied, with substantial alterations.