Log Cabin Kitchen

In the past, a log cabin home was a habitant’s first shelter. Trees were abundant and must be cut-down to open land for crops and fields. In time, as his family grew and prospered, a new, bigger home might be constructed. In this case, from the 1840s, the new home was a frame structure with wood siding. Our ancestors, 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 would be a fire hazard. But, the split wood shell you see serves only as support for a fire-hardened, mud-lined flue. This type of chimney construction is very old and was common in the English settlements of Jamestown and Plymouth. I assume, French settlements of the 18th century also used this construction where stone was not readily available . Cooking was a big job in the 17th and 18th centuries as families were usually large and additional hired hands might be fed at certain times of the year as they were needed to care for livestock, clear more land, tend fields and harvest crops. Nearly everything in the kitchen was made fresh daily.
Ummm, I can almost smell the 5 lbs. loaves of fresh bread baking in the outside oven!