By Michele Smith
the Times
Different times, other plagues, similar measures taken
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May 21, 2020
Lane Gwinn
This 'quarantine cabin' was built in 1898, by John and Mary Dodge for their son, Pvt. Wesley a returning Spanish-American War veteran.
DAYTON-A hundred years ago it was a common practice to quarantine soldiers returning from war zones against diseases like yellow fever
Private Wesley Dodge, 1st Regiment of Washington Infantry Volunteers, Company F, was quarantined in this 13 x 13 cabin when he returned home to Dayton from the Spanish American War in 1898. The cabin, built in the Dodge family backyard, met basic recommended quarantine practices. It was "discovered" behind a two-story home on West Richmond Street and donated to the Blue Mountain Heritage Society in 2017.
The cabin was painstakingly restored by Beau Sabin and Rick Nicely, owners of Pillars of Society Woodworking, LLC, and moved to its present location adjacent to the Smith Hollow Country Schoolhouse Museum on Front Street.
Sabin and Nicely salvaged as much as possible of the original structure. They painstakingly labelled each piece, before dismantling the cabin, one nail at a time. In order to maintain historical integrity, similar materials were used to replace non-restorable components. Interior boards that could not be salvaged were replaced with reclaimed wood from a recently completed barn restoration project. Small logs were resourced with the help of forestry officials, according to the Blue Mountain Heritage Society website at: http://www.bluemountainheritage.org
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