Newlin Grist Mill

Help us save a piece of history: reassembling the Newlin
Log House

In 2020 we received a call asking, "Would you like a log house?" Coming on the heels of the pandemic and two record breaking floods earlier that year, our first instinct was to say no. After learning it was a Newlin structure, however, we agreed to study and document the building. Every discovery revealed it to be a special architectural survival that convinced us the log house should be preserved. 

Much of what we know came from an analysis of the structure itself. We believe the building was constructed between 1750 and 1775 based on construction techniques and tax records. It was most likely built as a workshop or public house before being added to and converted to a dwelling in the 19th century. From the first visit to the house, it was clear the building had a story to tell. As the layers of occupation and renovation were peeled back, increasingly interesting details came to light. Once the decision to save the log house was made, the work began. 

Staff and a corps of volunteers prepared to disassemble the structure by mapping and tagging each log and piece of wooden chinking between the logs. Using heavy equipment, each log was carefully lifted and loaded onto a truck and moved into storage. Local residents generously allowed us to store the building in their barn for 5 years, but that time is nearly up. We need your help to get the project moving.

When completed, the Newlin Log House will be used as a much-needed space for public programming and education. The space will make it perfect for presenting new stories about early construction techniques, trades, taverns and inn, and  historic foodways. We expect the project to cost approximately $300,000.

The project will be the focus at Newlin Grist Mill during the Semiquincentennial celebration of our nation's independence. The log house project will be accompanied by programming that focuses on the "Trades that Built America." Part of the project will include making doors, windows, rafters, iron hardware, and even shingles in our Millwright and Blacksmith shops, inviting the public to join us in the process of historic preservation. Demonstrations and presentations by skilled craftspeople will not only provide insight into how this building was built, but also the importance of historic trades and tradespeople in the story of America. Thank you for helping to make this project a reality!