log cabin

n

a small, simple house made of logs laid horizontally and joined without nails at the corners. These were common in the frontier parts of America (= at the extreme limits of settled land) from the 17th century. President Abraham Lincoln was born in one in Kentucky. Many later politicians also claimed that they had been born in log cabins in order to persuade people that they came from poor, ordinary families and had become successful by hard work.

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Small, one-room house built of logs notched at the ends and laid one upon another with the spaces filled with plaster, moss, mortar, mud, or dried manure.

In North America they were built by early settlers, hunters, loggers, and other wilderness dwellers. They have also been built in Europe, particularly Scandinavia. Though designs vary, a common style features a sloping, single-gabled timbered roof and small windows. Modern summer cottages may be built of logs (or given log-cabin siding) to achieve a rustic effect.

Log cabin, Abraham Lincoln's boyhood home, Knob Creek, Kentucky, originally built early 19th ...

Wettach/Shostal

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▪ building

 small house built of logs notched at the ends and laid one upon another with the spaces filled with plaster, moss, mortar, mud, or dried manure. Log cabins are found especially in wooded areas, where the construction material is easily at hand. In North America they were built by early settlers and by hunters, loggers, and other wilderness dwellers. They have also been built in Europe, particularly in the Scandinavian countries.

      Although the designs vary, a common style features a sloping, single-gabled timbered roof and small windows. The interior is usually simple, with one room, perhaps partitioned, over which a loft might be built. Modern summer cottages may be built of logs (or given log-cabin siding) to achieve a rustic effect.

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