This fireplace mantel beam comes from a rare vertical log, also known as stockade style, home dating back to 1894. This particular piece is Red Elm or Black Ash (can’t quite tell) and some very nice rust or amber color, mild hand hewn marks, and pleasant character. It has 4 sides hand hewn into a rectangular shape. This too is unusual in that it made most sense to square round logs into square beams. While we like to save log cabins as log cabins, this one had significant cut-outs and was scheduled for quick demolition. In those later pictures, the vertical wood on the first floor is not planking, but rather logs.

From what we can tell, this cabin was built in 1894. There were old Swedish newspapers stuck to the wall for insulation. Between the logs, there was chinking made of grasses and old fabric. We’re trying to clarify the history. The area settled with a mix of Swedish, Polish, and German immigrants. There’s some reports that making vertical log cabins was common in a small area in Poland. It is certainly plausible that Polish immigrant brought over this construction technique. There was another vertical log cabin found in the area.

A Swedish family, the Mainquist’s, lived on the farm from about 1930 to 2013. There are some nice pictures on the Minnesota Historical Society website of the Mainquist Family — Evert with Calf, Carol Mainquist sitting on a disc harrow, and Break from threshing on Evert Mainquist farm. You can see the old house in the background of the Carol image.

Note the tag on this one was from the original newspaper covering the wall. It was from a Swedish newspaper printed in the Midwest. You can see the mix of Swedish and English. If you’re interest in American Pioneer history, the Vilhelm Moberg’s Emigrants book series comes highly recommended.