Constructing buildings by placing logs horizontally one upon another in rows, and connecting the corners with interlocking fitted notches in Lincoln Log fashion to create a stable, hollow mass
Ideally suited to the heavily forested southwestern frontier (including North and West Louisiana and parts of the Florida parishes) settled by Uplanders
Hallmark of Upland South architecture
ORIGINS
Pennsylvania Germans (known as “Pennsylvania Dutch”) contributed log construction technique they had known in Germany
Scots-Irish contributed concept of the British pen house
Combining these ideas resulted in new building type – the log house
BRITISH PEN TRADITION
British pen tradition was basic model for Upland South domestic architecture
Pen:
An easily duplicated folk model which could be quickly and economically built because the design and construction techniques were familiar to allA unit, square or rectangular in shape, consisting of four log walls fastened together with corner notching; in Louisiana, pens tended to be about 16 feet square; however, sometimes they were rectangular (16 by 18 or 20 feet)
Characteristics of a pen:
Consists of one room
Gable roof oriented from side to side
Outside chimney on one end
Raised one to three feet off ground on piers
Doors centered in front and rear walls
ADAPTABILITY
Log construction was versatile, i.e., floor plans could be easily enlarged through the building of additional pens and/or shed roof rooms to meet the needs of growing families
Exterior and interior appearance easily improved by cosmetic changes to reflect rising economic and social status of residents
PRINTABLE VERSION(21.5 KB)
