“An obstacle may be either a stepping stone or a stumbling block.” ~ Unknown
I had the opportunity to visit my favorite farmhouse today. To say it was a thrill would be an understatement. Based only on the log used for the plate sill, I suspected the original section of the house was log (the original section is the two-story section only). Watkins family lore held it to be log as well. In all the photos I’ve done, all the searching, there was no other proof that it was a log house. I began to believe the plate log was nothing more than a fluke, and the house was just the usual frame structure. Nevertheless, I took a hammer with me today with one last hope of finding a small opening in the foundation to at least see beneath it. And see beneath it I did – Logs! That still didn’t mean the structure was log, but it was at least a glimmer of hope. Inside, cousin Renee and I took the hammer to one of the walls where she and her other cousins had recently made a small opening and found lath. We found lath and plaster key alongside a small vertical log with the bark still on it. The nails were wrought iron. The evidence was still a bit thin, but at least the materials we were finding leaned toward my suspicions of mid-1800s. When husband Aaron came in, we went upstairs to look around some more. He took the hammer and hit the wall. Behold – an ax hewn log, and then another, and another. Chills went all over me. It was one of the most exciting days ever. The only people more excited than me were Renee and Aaron. I can’t wait to see what they do with the house now. If I didn’t have so many responsibilities right now, I’d beg them to let me take a crack at fixing it. The farmhouse has really come to be important to me. It has seen so much history in one of the most incredibly history-rich areas of central Kentucky, I want to hear what else it has to tell me.
MOM
WOW….what a great find, you three!!!!!