Rebuilding Grandpa’s Log Cabin

Gene England built a replica of his grandfather's Blairsville, Georgia log cabin. While clearing his 55 acre property he realized there was some wonderful timber that could be used for this purpose. Follow along while he shows us the cabin he built completely by himself and furnished with period furnishings.

Gene demonstrates the use of a "brush broom" or "yard broom" made from a clump of dogwood branches to clean the front yard, which was made of sand. He also shows us how they used "broom straw" to make a broom for the inside of the house.

Next we go inside and see the Home Comfort cookstove with a 30 gallon water reservoir, assorted cast iron pots and kettles, a vintage stovewood box, wooden butter churn, wood "potty", Hoosier cabinet, wild cherry table, homemade curtains and curtain rods and an ingenious door latch.

The house is made from six-inch timbers milled from the onsite pine trees. The walls and ceiling are board batten.

Watch for Gene England's other episodes on his Vintage Village here on Rural Heritage Youtube channel.

[leeshepherd]

I am 42 years old and have very fond memories of my grandparents and neighbors living like this in the small rural cummity that i grew up in. We didn't really think nothing of it at the time as we just assumed everyone lived like this. Now as im older i am truly thankful that i had the privilege to witness history in the making

[randymiller]

I would love to sit down on this GREAT man's front porch with a glass of iced lemonade or sweet tea, sit back & listen to his years of stories & life full of wisdom & advice, smile, take a deep breath, & learn more about life.
Even though I'm already 52 yrs old I could still learn a lot more!!!
Much love from Mobile Alabama.

[lilliansmall]

Oh my gosh, I love this. It’s wonderful to hear first hand knowledge about how people got their days going in the morning and kept the place clean. It really makes history a living thing and not just a random collection of antiques. Thank you so much. I also love how he still calls his father “Daddy”. Sounds like a wonderful, loving family.

[slackjaw]

The kind of gentleman everybody wants for a grandfather. I never got to experience having one that I was old enough to remember, but I always thought they’d be just like this. Interesting, knowledgeable and hard working. Great video.

[uberurbana]

This cabin is gorgeous ! I cannot imagine having about six kids and having to get up everyday and make enough bread for that many people. It must be heaven to sit by that fireplace at night to read a book. If this cabin were mine, I wouldn't want to do this because people tend to tear up your property, but do you know how much money people would pay to stay a night in this cabin?? Great the oil painting of the Grandpa's cabin, too !

[notsosilentmajority]

Mr. Gene England, thank you for sharing your cabin and some of your family history with us. You sir, are a natural. I could listen to you all day long. Your cabin is quite beautiful and extremely interesting. God Bless.

[Dave-tyqp]

I am in my seventies, and the things shown in this video bring back lots of great memories. In my life I traveled to a lots of places, and noticed most homes of that period were pretty much the same with the exception of the materials used. That depended on what was grown, or existed locally, but manufactured goods were all the same. Great video.

[PossumLady]

The best history taught comes from that person who lived it. I enjoyed his memories of his childhood life very much.

[nostalgianeverland]

This is an endearing story told by a man who has lived a part of history we can't afford to forget. Love the video.

[Automedon]

You did a beautiful job on your cabin. Listening to you describe the household items, I could imagine how life would have looked. Really great.

[johndengler]

Gene, Thank you for preserving important American history. This video will be used to teach history long after we are gone! My mother told me about her grandparents who ran a Texaco Station out in rural Miss. before electricity, which they never did have. Her grandmother kept white creek sand on the kitchen floor from a nearby creek. They pumped gas by hand and kept coke and other things cold in a CocaCola ice box. They grew corn, had hogs, a cow and took corn to a mill to be ground. They sold newspapers, staples, candy and sundries. Loved your story, please continue to educate children about life in the past!

[h-man]

Wow! Such a wealth of knowledge! Incredible to see how people lived back then, from someone who actually lived through it.

[grannyanderson]

He is so correct, I remember gathering the dogwood and straw for the brooms at my grandma's house. It's easy so beautiful to sweep your yards and only see that beautiful sand with flowers bed on the side and at the porch areas. Good memories!

[Jesus-mcdo]

I could spend days listening to this man speak. These old timers are great.

[paulchristiansen]

what a wonderful man to listen to and to enjoy the history of yesterday year living..cheers

[d]

My great-grandmother’s home. The sound of rain on that rusted tin roof. Cracks in the floor. Crackling fire. Days gone by.

[constitutionalcarpenter]

What a great cabin. He mentions Lard while hes by the Hoosier cabinet. It was very common that the large 3rd drawer on the bottom would be made of tin on the inside for the lard.

[KMYoutube]

This has been the most comprehensive video on cabin life back in the day, that I have ever seen! I loved it and really felt the warmth, serenity and simplicity of life back yes, I could sense the intense amount of hard work that went into the day. That makes the days off and Sunday meals the best! Thank you for this video, Sir!

[rogerdrum]

There is so much to his story telling that a 30 minute video will never collect. Thank you for sharing this man with me. God Bless y’all.

[daveygivens]

Who remembers a coffee can with saved bacon grease on the stove?