This old rustic fireplace mantel was one of only a couple dozen or so that came out of an old log home. The mantels that we’re making out of these old beams just keep getting better and better. This one is not the typical log cabin beam – tree-like on two sides and hand hewn on two sides. It was hand hewn on three sides and tree-like on one side. It was probably in a unique position in the building such as a rafter plate or perhaps a doorway. We cut off the rounded back to make a nice flat back for installation. In addition, the color, the tight wavy wood grains, and the character in the wood is absolutely phenomenal.

So not only does this old mantel beam not only has great character, but great history as well. This particular log came from a log cabin that was located just south of Madison, Wisconsin. That area was settled as early as the late 1830s. This date makes sense as America were generally settled from East to West. The story goes that 4 of the sons of the original settlers went off to fight in the Civil War. For us here in Minnesota, it is pretty neat because most of the old hand hewn material (only) dates to about 1870s – 1890s.

While we like to preserve log cabins for reuse as log cabins, often times they have cut-outs for doors and additions that just don’t make that practical. Like many of these old log cabins, we got lots of short pieces, i.e. “shorts” out of this one. By the time we knew about the cabin, it was a pile of logs as the owner built a new house in that spot.

It is pretty incredible to own a piece of American history like this. I’m tempted to keep this one for our house.

I’m sorry, this one can’t be discounted. However, we are willing to re-size at no charge. It is a pretty incredible piece.