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“Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History”
“Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History”
King near Ann Arbor in Washtenaw County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
 

Frontier Cozy

 
 
Frontier Cozy Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Joel Seewald, April 18, 2017
1. Frontier Cozy Marker
Inscription.
Can you imagine your whole family living in this cabin? The simple interior of this one room log cabin included a ladder to a loft area and a small coal stove. William Parker built the cabin in 1878 for relatives who planned to emigrate from England. Later, the cabin was used for storage and to house seasonal help during harvest time. This type of structure represents the skills and resourcefulness of the early pioneers, which enabled successful settlement of vast areas of our country.

Log Cabin Construction 101
European immigrants brought log building skills to the American Colonies. These are simple structures, easily constructed by a few people with materials found on hand and just a small number of tools. Since it was not used as a permanent residence, this cabin was never finished with wood siding. As a result, the simple construction techniques are clearly visible, such as square sawn logs and "half-square notched" corners. Chinking, made from wood, mortar and red clay, was used to seal the spaces between the logs.

Notice how the floor joists are notched into the sill log at ground level. Can you see similar notches on the cabin for ceiling joists? These suggest that there was once a loft in the cabin.

The Big Oak
The big beautiful Bur Oak (Quercus
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macrocarpa
) in front of you sprouted sometime in the early 1860's. While digging the ditch for the gristmill's original tailrace in the early 1870's, the horse team nicked the bark of the young oak. At the time, the trunk was only 1-1/2" in diameter. Dale Parker remembered the story of his grandfather, William, rushing to paint the wound and save the tree. As you can see, the bark healed up just fine. The average lifespan of a bur oak is 200-400 years.

Thank you William, we love this tree!

Moving Days
Although not its original location, this setting along Fleming Creek would have been an ideal spot for an early settlers' cabin. The cabin was originally moved from the north side of Geddes Road to where the Visitor Pavilion now stands. It was moved once more in 1989 to this location!
 
Erected by Parker Mill County Park, Washtenaw County Parks and Recreation Commission.
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1878.
 
Location. 42° 16.426′ N, 83° 40.032′ W. Marker is near Ann Arbor, Michigan, in Washtenaw County. It is in King. Marker can be reached from Geddes Road, 0.2 miles east of North Dixboro Road. Marker is in Parker Mill County Park, about 330 feet down the footpath
Upper Image image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Joel Seewald, April 18, 2017
2. Upper Image
Early photo of cabin with lean-to structure, at its original location north of Geddes Road.
from the parking lot. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 4650 Geddes Road, Ann Arbor MI 48105, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Log Cabin (a few steps from this marker); The Power of Fleming Creek (within shouting distance of this marker); The Parker Family & Mill (within shouting distance of this marker); Hoyt Garrod Post and Family History (within shouting distance of this marker); Cider Mill (within shouting distance of this marker); The Gristmill (within shouting distance of this marker); Grist Mill (within shouting distance of this marker); Welcome to the Parker Family Mills! (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Ann Arbor.
 
Lower Images image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Joel Seewald, April 18, 2017
3. Lower Images
Left: Floor joist notching; Right: Corner notching
Frontier Cozy Marker and Log Cabin image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Joel Seewald, April 18, 2017
4. Frontier Cozy Marker and Log Cabin
Frontier Cozy Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Craig Doda, November 11, 2023
5. Frontier Cozy Marker
Burr Oak image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Dave Wilcox, January 8, 2019
6. Burr Oak
Current Burr Oak and future Oak image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Dave Wilcox, January 8, 2019
7. Current Burr Oak and future Oak
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on November 21, 2023. It was originally submitted on June 28, 2017, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan. This page has been viewed 286 times since then. Photos:   1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on June 28, 2017, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan.   5. submitted on November 14, 2023, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio.   6, 7. submitted on January 8, 2019, by Dave Wilcox of Grass Lake, Michigan.

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Mar. 19, 2024