By Michele Smith
The Times
Deconstructed 1898 Cabin Will Be Rebuilt at Museum Site
Smith Hollow School House Museum will be the new home of the Dodge family cabin
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August 17, 2017
Courtesy Photo
On July 26, Rick Nicely (red shirt) and Beau Sabin of Pillars of Society Woodworks, LLC made their first inspection of the 1898 log cabin that was donated to the Blue Mountain Heritage Society. The cabin is being taken down in reverse order of how it was built, the pieces being numbered and photographed, before being moved to a location at the Smith Hollow Schoolhouse Museum.
Dayton – Beau Sabin and Rick Nicely of Pillars of Society Woodworks, LLC have been tasked with moving a small log cabin from its current site in the backyard of a home on W. Richmond St., to its new location at the Smith Hollow School House Museum, and with its reconstruction.
The cabin was unbuilt, beginning with the last piece added when it was first built. The pieces are being numbered, and photographed, before they are moved.
"The more pictures, the more documentation, the better," said Sabin.
Salvage from other historic buildings will be sourced to replace some of the cabin material that has deteriorated," Nicely said.
Nicely said he was thinking about using plywood from a barn project in Walla Walla to replace some of the ceiling, and sourcing some old cedar shakes to replace the shakes on the roof that are beyond their useful life.
The cabin was donated to the Blue Mountain Heritage Society by its owners, Cyndi and Eric Sams, a few months ago, according to Dallas Dickinson, who is on the Blue Mountain Heritage Society board.
Research into the cabin's history has yielded some interesting facts.
According to a 1971 Walla Walla Union Bulletin article the cabin was built in 1898, by John and Mary Dodge, for their son's convalescence. Pvt. Wesley Dodge was a returning Spanish-American War veteran.
Courtesy Photo
Private Wesley Dodge is pictured in the center of this photograph.
The Dodges lived in the adjacent home and owned the property from 1890 until they sold the property to J.M. Dunlap in 1901. The cabin has been used for a variety of reasons since then, according to the BMHS.
"We're excited to have the cabin, and cabin experts help us," said Dickinson.
Dickinson said BMHS President Paula Moisio saw an article in the Walla Walla Union Bulletin about work Pillars of Society Woodworks, LLC was doing on a barn, and she got in touch with them about reconstructing the cabin.
The cost of having the cabin dismantled is coming out of BMHS funds. Fundraising efforts are underway to pay for the reconstruction of the cabin, Dickinson said.
Donations to help with the project are being accepted by the Blue Mountain Heritage Society, at PO Box 163, Dayton WA 99328.
For further information about the project contact the BMHS at bluemountainheritage@gmail.com
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