Hyde Log Cabin

This past weekend, my girls decided that they needed to get out of the house and go on a road trip.  With snacks and activities packed for the van, we headed north and landed at the Hyde Log Cabin in Grand Isle, Vermont.

Hyde Log Cabin

It started raining just as we neared the property, then stopped just long enough for me to snap a few photos.  The building is closed during the winter, but I was able to get a few shots of the interior through the windows.

Currently run as a museum by the Grand Isle Historical Society, the cabin was built in 1783 by Jedediah Hyde, Jr.  It is the oldest standing log cabin in Vermont, and is believed to be the oldest standing log cabin within the United States.

Informational Plaque.

From an architectural perspective, the building has some odd features, though it's difficult to tell how many are changes from the original building.  There are some obvious modern touches, such as the standing seam roof and window frames.  Other unusual features are the different sizes of windows, and the fireplace back built into the wall with the chimney inside the upper wooden structure.

3/4 View of the rear and side showing at least 4 sizes of windows.

Fireplace back with chimney on the interior.

The inside of the building actually looks incredibly cozy, with one large open space on the first floor, and a ladder/stair leading to what is probably an open loft space above.

Interior through window.

Interior through window.

Interior through window.

With its log construction and mud/daub chinking between courses, this is actually how I picture that the blockhouse of Moses Pierson may have looked, especially if it used the smaller rectangular windows like the one on the rear of the Hyde Cabin.

After a quick look around, the kids and I loaded back into the van, just in time for ice and sleet to start falling from the sky.  We may make a trip back after the building opens for visitors again in May in order to take a better look at the inside.

Detail of wall, eaves, and second floor support structure.

Detail of upper gable end.

Back rear corner with small rectangular window.

Front window next to what may have been on original window opening?