More than a cabin; Mineer learns important lessons during log cabin project

By MARLA TONCRAY, News Editor

Friday, April 25, 2008 11:38 PM EDT

"It was just an old house," Mike said of the cabin, which had been covered with clapboard siding at one time and had a "lean to" type addition added at the rear of the cabin.

The massive logs of the cabin are poplar wood and all but three have survived the years of weather, neglect and the move. Mike and Morris replaced them with logs measuring 32 feet in length crafted from tulip poplar trees on Mike's property. Even though the bark of the trees was stripped with the add of a chain saw, Mike used a broad ax, which would have been used years ago to cut the bark from the tree, to make gashes in the raw flesh of the new logs to give the appearance of having been cut by hand.

The interior of the cabin is as rustic today as it would have been when it was constructed, all the way down to the new "lean to" addition at the rear, which houses the kitchen. Mike's son Cameron helped the two men apply chinking between the logs, which is a mixture of one part Portland cement, one part lime and six parts sand. Mike said he researched the National Historic Registry's Web site for the proper ingredients to make the chinking as authentic as possible.

There is a sleeping loft above the living quarters on the main level and a second loft above the kitchen. With the exception of modern conveniences such as electricity, running water and an indoor bathroom, the overall feel of the cabin is authentic, down to the cooking crane on the stone fireplace.

Morris and Mike laughed about using the cooking crane, saying they've gotten the knack of how to gauge the heat of the open fire so as not to burn the food.

"We wanted something that was rustic to bring the past to the future," Mike said.

The stones used in the fireplace came from the fireplace of the John Black house when it was being demolished. Morris laughed about the fact he told Mike "it's going to take a lot of rocks" , since he knew from experience just how many it would take to complete the structure. It was Morris who designed the four foot firebox of the chimney and its draft system.

Following with his philosophy of borrowing from the past, Mike and Morris used 21 rocks measuring 32 inches X 16 inches X 16 inches, and weighing 800 pounds each, to build the foundation of the fireplace underneath the cabin. The rocks were quarried in Carmargo during President Roosevelt's WPA era.

The large foundation was constructed to serve as an ash pit and is accessible from the outside of the cabin. The point of the ash pit has its beginnings in earlier days as well; ash was used to make lye soap and was added to scalding water to remove hair from the skins of deer and pigs.

"We did it the way it used to be done," Morris said of the chimney's design and functionality.

To construct the chimney, Mike used an old-fashioned pulley system to hoist each rock into place. Once the rope was tied around the rock, Mike would walk out into the clearing pulling the rope to gain leverage in its rise to Morris positioned on the roof, to set each one in place. A slow and laborious method, but one that provided a sense of accomplishment for both men.

"We did it together. It would not be what it is without him here," Mike said of his friends assistance and knowledge as a master stonemason, plumber and electrician.

As the concept of the cabin's future use started taking shape and form during its restoration, Mike's vision of learning how to become self sufficient from the land and wildlife around him has also unfolded.

Not only does the Mineer family use the cabin for pleasure and family gatherings, but Mike is also teaching himself and his son how to process venison meat to make German sausage and brats; he has experimented with making wine from the blackberries on his property; he wants to put in a vegetable garden and with the help of friends familiar with the property, he has discovered a natural spring behind the barn which had been covered up for years, providing him with a natural water source close to the cabin.

Mike even has a stone burr grist mill for making corn mill and a cane mill for production of sorghum molasses, something he hasn't done in 18 years. He said he hasn't used them yet, but they are on his list of things to learn.

And through it all, Morris has been at his side sharing stories about his upbringing in the country, how to figure measurements for construction of the cabin, gardening techniques and other knowledge which was once used on a daily basis in America, before the advent of super-sized grocery stores, fast food restaurants and other modern methods of food production and supply.

Little tidbits of knowledge like how to use the natural spring found near the barn; Morris said he remembers as a child his family kept a bottle of milk in their spring to keep it cool during the day.

"We had a ball," Morris said with a chuckle as he talked about the two year project.

As President and CEO of Citizens Deposit Bank, Mike understands the ebbs and flows of the American economy. As an avid outdoorsman, he also appreciates and understands how nature has and can provide food and shelter for humans.

He also understands the connection he has to the land and heritage of his pioneer forefathers and now has a vision of how he can teach his children how to use what they have by learning firsthand how to work with nature, human ingenuity and hard work.

"You've gotta have belief and you've gotta have vision. If you have vision, you can make it happen," Mike said.

Contact Marla Toncray at marla.toncray@lee.net or 606-564-9091, ext. 275.