The Sullivan Cabin

The Sullivan Cabin was built on the east side of Bassett Creek, in 1874 by Gibeon Jefferson Sullivan, a Confederate soldier who served in Co. A. 32nd Ala Infantry, an all-volunteer company made up of men from Washington County. The cabin is a type of folk house common to south Alabama from the time of settlement until the end of the 19th century: a round - log, double -pen with dogtrot cabin. , The spraddle roof as seen from the gable end puts porches under the main house roof. Wide over - hanging eaves extend the roof beyond the chimney. Long logs on the corners of the pens at ceiling height extend front to back to support the porch roof. Logs are plainly notched without dovetails or chinking: battens cover the spaces. Timbers are hand-hewn (ax marks still visible) and some floorboards are as wide as 20 inches, with large sills in the foundation beneath The original pillars probably were large round-log sections. The two back shed rooms were probably added later as Gibeon's family grew. , (Continued on other side). , Reverse , (Continued from other side). , When the home was completed in 1874, Gibeon nailed three boards together to create a "cooling board" The feature turned his front porch into a place of central importance to the Wagarville community. When a death occurred. the board was used by neighbors to transport the body back to Gibeon's home where it was prepared for burial. As one of the few homes in Washington County with a cooling board, the Sullivan Cabin became a community gathering place where people came to grieve, pay respects, and find comfort., The cabin remained Gibeon Sullivan's residence until he died in 1914, when it passed to his grandson, G.G. Sullivan, who lived here until his death in 1960. At G. G. Sullivan's death, the cabin became the property of D.K. Sullivan, who maintained it faithfully all of his life. His heirs sold the cabin to other Sullivan descendants, who gave it to the Pvt. Gibeon Jefferson Sullivan Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy in June 2009.