Here is the story of an 1850's cabin that is loved by Chris and Rich of Bumpy Pumpkin Farm. You can find Chris on Instagram at @bumpypumpkinfarm.
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Our log cabin story began in spring 1991 when Rich and I closed on the farm 4 weeks before we got married. The 1850s cabin had been expanded from its original size in the mid-1980s, when the kitchen lean to was put on a foundation with a bedroom above, and upstairs was expanded to a full story from its original loft. The logs upstairs now are wainscot height. The original stairs were also replaced, as they were very steep and only 20 inches wide!
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The cabin still sits on its original sandstone foundation. The expansion also included a back porch off of the kitchen, which was converted into a sunroom in the late 1980s. We opened up the kitchen to the sunroom and added a wood stove, so the small kitchen now has lots of light.
In 2003, with 2 small kids, we decided that we needed some more space, and put on an 800 square ft 2 story addition. We designed it ourselves as a "telescoping" addition, which was a common way to add onto houses in the 18th-19th century.
Also, it was important to leave the logs as intact as possible, so we ended up placing the door to the new master suite on the second floor where there was an existing window. This way we only had to cut 2 logs to make the window a door. I treasure those log pieces, as the rings show that the oak logs were approximately 200 years old when they were cut for the house.
The addition gave us a large family room and a master suite. I have enclosed photos that show the family room addition, and the little hall to the kitchen which contains plumbing and ductwork for upstairs.
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The property is 30 acres of pasture and woods, and since the cabin is on a steep hill, we have a great view across the hollow.
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I have large perennial gardens, which also serve as test gardens for plants that I recommend/use in landscaping projects. I have done garden design and consulting as a side job for around 15 years, and pretty much have trialed every plant and shrub in my own garden.
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I am obsessed with old houses and their history (it was my college minor), and am very lucky that the family who owned all the surrounding property for the last 125 years or so still lives on our road. One of the elderly neighbors found some photos of the farm recently and gave them to me, and I could not have received a better gift.
One shows the original kitchen addition, which was propped up on 10 foot poles! It lasted for years even with the weight of a brick chimney and Home Comfort wood stove!
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When we moved in, the chicken coop, corn crib, outhouse, and wood shed were still standing, but the barn, well house, and spring house were gone. So neat to see pictures of the long gone buildings. The spring house was roofed with shed bark from the yellow buckeye tree which is still right by the house. It is enormous now-one of the largest in Pennsylvania.
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The family that lived here loved their animals, and raised prize-winning horses and sheep. I especially love the photo of the little rat terrier, Sport, taken on the front porch.
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Sport belonged to a deaf and blind man named John. There is a sweet photo of him sitting by the road hugging Sport.
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Our neighbor said the fence pictured surrounded the yard and ended at the outhouse, and John found his way to the privy by running his cane along the fence pickets. The cabin fell in disrepair in the 1960s and the kitchen lean to was torn off. I've included a picture of the back of the cabin in the early 1970s.
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The kitchen addition was rebuilt in the original footprint in the 1980s, and the cabin window seen in the photo was repurposed into a spice cabinet (I've also enclosed a photo of the kitchen showing the back view now.
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