Log homes are an American icon, and they are still enjoying tremendous popularity today. Thousands of log homes and log cabins are constructed every year, and some existing houses are converted to log homes. There’s real joy and comfort in living in these gorgeous structures that build many memories

If you currently live in a log home or plan to build one, you may be interested to know some amazing facts about them. They got their start in the U.S. in the seventeenth century on the East Coast and have spread across all fifty states.

The Oldest Log Homes In America Were Scandinavian

The first log cabins and log homes were built in America by the Finnish and Swedish immigrants. Other groups from the British Isles and Germany soon began living in them.           

The oldest log structure still standing is the Nothnagle Home (shown here) built around 1638 in Gibbstown, New Jersey. It was built with white oak by the Finnish pioneer Anthony Neilson. The bricks in the corner fireplace were brought from Europe. The iron pot hangers for cooking food over the fire date back to the 1590s.

Log Home Facts: Benjamin Franklin Did Not Approve Of Them

One of our American founding fathers Benjamin Franklin did not approve of log homes or log cabins. He looked down upon them and thought they were just for poor frontier people. In 1766 he said that log cabin dwellers were basically “itinerant hunters who added little value to humanity.”                                                                                                                                                                     

He also said these people “are poor, and dirty, and ragged and ignorant, and vicious, and live in miserable cabins. These degenerates spend their formative years idle and wicked, now they suffer in their circumstances.” My, how things have changed! Today, hundreds of thousands of Americans love them.

7 U.S. Presidents Were Born In Log Cabins

It may come as a surprise, but seven U.S. Presidents were born in log cabins. They all served their countries in the nineteenth century and included:

  • Andrew Jackson (7) born in South Carolina
  • Zachary Taylor (12) born in Virginia
  • Millard Fillmore (13) born in New York
  • James Buchanan (15) born in Pennsylvania
  • Abraham Lincoln (16) born in Kentucky
  • Ulysses Grant (18) born in Ohio
  • James Garfield (20) born in Ohio

“Log homes are an American icon, and they are still enjoying tremendous popularity today.”

The Largest Log Home In America 

The largest private log home in America is called the Timber Moose Lodge in Heber City, Utah. This home has 26,500 square feet of living space and 9,300 square feet of decks and balconies. It has 13 bedrooms, 17 bathrooms, and a 2,100 square-foot Grand Room.

The second largest log home is Granot Loma located in Marquette, Michigan. The home has 26,000 square feet with 50 rooms including 23 bedrooms, 13 bathrooms, a 60-foot long great room, gourmet kitchen, and 25 fireplaces.

Log Home Facts: Log Homes Have Healthful Benefits

Detailed health studies have been conducted on people who live in real wood log homes (not synthetic material logs). The results reveal that residents, both humans and pets, can experience some positive impacts on their health, including.

  • Improved air quality
  • Improved mental health
  • Promotes an active lifestyle
  • More temperature and humidity control
  • Pine is a sustainable material

Log siding homes as well as full log homes provide these benefits. They are comforting to live in because they also provide a stress-releasing quality.

More Than 30,000 Are Built Each Year

Another surprising fact about log homes is that more than 30,000 are built each year in the U.S. The top 10 states with the most log homes include:

  • Colorado
  • New York
  • North Carolina
  • Wisconsin
  • Michigan
  • Pennsylvania
  • Ohio
  • Texas
  • Minnesota
  • New Hampshire

Why are they so popular today? It’s because they offer a blend of rustic charm, modern comfort, and a deep connection with nature. Log homes are ideal places for anyone seeking a harmonious and sustainable lifestyle. They are not only gorgeous but they are natural air purifiers.

Log Homes Can Be Constructed Cost-Effectively With Log Siding

A better, easier, faster, and more cost-effective way to build a log home is with pine wood log siding. You obtain the full-log look without the full-log price that you will appreciate. The most popular wood for log siding and flooring is red pine also called Norwegian pine.

Pine log siding with the tongue and groove/end-matching design is installed on conventional wall framing. This material is virtually a “no-waste” product that construction companies call a modern construction miracle. High-quality log siding, corners, trims, flooring, paneling, and decking can be ordered online for your convenience.

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