Log Cabin Cookhouse

In the old days, a log cabin home was a pioneer family's first shelter. After a few years, as the family grew and prospered, a new home might be built. In this case, from the 1840s, the new home was a frame structure with wood siding. Our pioneers, being frugal, usually kept the old cabin and used it for other purposes. In this case, it is used as a cookhouse. The log chimney is interesting. You'd think a log chimney is a fire hazzard. But the split wood shell you can see serves as the support for a fire-hardened, mud-lined inner flue. This type of chimney construction was common in Jamestown, Plymouth and other English settlements of the 17th century. Cooking could be a big job in the 18th and 19th century as families were usually large and additional hired hands might be needed at certain times of the year to care for livestock, tend fields and harvest crops. Almost everything in the kitchen was made fresh daily.

Ummm, I can almost smell the fresh bread baking!

Old French Style Home

Sainte Genevieve, MO, is an ancient village built close to the Mississippi River. It is about 40 miles south of St. Louis. Here, French merchants lived in the early 1700s. One style of log home they built is the Creole house. It is built of vertical log walls, held in place by a horizontal header and footer . The gaps between the logs are filled with rocks and clay. The hip roof is covered with wood shingles and a wide veranda surrounds the house. The veranda provides plenty of shade and helps keep the inside rooms cool in summer. A stone kitchen was built in the rear of this house. Many homes in the south had a "summer kitchen" that was separate from the main house. Obviously,a separate kitchen helped keep the living quarters cooler and also reduced the risk of a house fire. Just imagine the disastrous consequences of a house fire in the days before fire departments!
One safety technique employed by folks in the past was to build a freestanding chimney that did not touch the roof. If a fire started in the chimney, the family could pull it away from the house, saving their home from the flames.