On our second day of the Greenbrier County log structure tour Karen handed over the wheel to Carolyn Rudley. Who could blame her? We were all still recovering from the busy day before. Fortunately, day 2 of the tour was a bit more relaxed. Our destination for the day was "Falling Springs Farm", high in the hills of northern Greenbrier County. Falling Springs Farm was a really unique place. Alan Rudley, the owner, spent many years collecting and restoring log structures from around the region. Many of them were moved to this property, which was convenient for us because we got to look at structures that came from all over Greenbrier and Pocahontas Counties without having to get back in the car!
Zigofuss House The Zigofuss house was believed to be built around 1867 for a Union Officer of the Civil War. The two-story log structure was built entirely of white oak and features half-dovetail notching, typical of the 1800s. It was originally located in Western Greenbrier County near Sam Black Church off Otter Creek Rd, but was rescued and moved to Alan's property in 1977. |
Hippie House This cabin is known lovingly as the "Hippie House" because of the graffiti carved into the chinking. This cabin is the only log structure that was original to the property when Alan bought it. There is no known date for the cabin but oral history indicates that it has been standing since at least the 1920s. The cabin appears to have been built from American chestnut and it has a very unique notching style that is not commonly seen in Greenbrier County. |
Chestnut Ridge CabinThis high elevation shepherd's cabin, now functioning as a barn, was originally located on top of Chestnut Ridge in Greenbrier County. It was constructed of American chestnut and features half-dovetail notching. Architectural features indicate that it likely dates to the mid-to-late 1800s, and because it was built of American chestnut it is not likely younger than the 1920s. |
Blacksmith Shop The Blacksmith Shop, dating to approximately 1900 if not slightly earlier, was moved from Esty, WV. It appears to have been built entirely of tulip poplar. It features rounded logs on the sides and back with saddle notching and hewn logs in the front with what appear to be V notches on some that may have been modified. Based on these observations it is likely that the front logs of this structure were re-purposed and date to the late 1700s or early 1800s while the side and back logs date to 1900. |
Pioneer Barn The Pioneer Barn was moved from Cold Knob, the highest point in Greenbrier County. It was built entirely of American chestnut, with fully rounded logs and saddle notching. It likely dates to the 1900s based on the western inspired architectural style. It has a unique purlin roof framing system as well. |
Spring House The Spring House, original to the property when the Rudleys moved there in the 70s, was once a lot taller. Over time, the bottom logs rotted away and now only 8 logs remain. They all appear to be American chestnut and are square notched. There is no known history or age for the Spring House. |
Little House on the Prairie Little House on the Prairie was originally a house located on Friar Hole Rd in Greenbrier County. It collapsed in a snowstorm in the 1970s and was moved in 1985 to the Rudley property. It now functions as a barn. It appears to have been built of American chestnut and potentially dates to the late 1800s based on the half-dovetail notching and architectural style. |
Falling Springs Farm truly is a unique place. The Rudleys have spent many years saving structures from imminent destruction and now have a wonderful collection of historical log buildings. Additionally, most of the structures are believed to be American chestnut, a species that was once prominent throughout eastern North America. American chestnut is now functionally extinct due to widespread chestnut blight in the early 1900s that killed off every mature chestnut tree. These structures hold valuable information about the ecology of American chestnut, which is something we are not often able to study without living trees present. We are hopeful to return to Falling Springs Farm and work with the Rudleys to date these wonderful structures!
See more photos from our visit to Falling Springs Farm below.
See more photos from our visit to Falling Springs Farm below.
We owe a special thanks to the Rudleys for hosting us that day. It was a real pleasure walking around Falling Springs Farm and seeing all of these great structures! Thank you!