The Workman Cabin

The Workman Cabin. . , Construction , Known as the "Workman Cabin,” this log home was built between 1838 and 1840 by Morgan Workman. It originally stood three miles northeast of Loudonville along what was once the old Wooster-Mt. Vernon Pike and Stage Route, which later became the 3C highway. The structure served as the home of Morgan and generations of his descendants, also being used as a meeting house for the Church of the Brethren and as an Inn for weary travelers along the road. Built of white oak logs stacked with a v-notch cut at each end, the cabin originally consisted of two rooms downstairs and a sleeping loft for the children overhead. Plaster walls were used to divide the interior into rooms, while chinking, a mixture of clay mud, straw, and hair, was used to provide insulation between the beams of the outer walls and to help shed water away from the logs. The roof was constructed of hand-hewn shake shingles, likely made of cedar. , It was remodeled a number of times, but in its original state was believed to have only one door in the front with the sleeping loft accessed via a ladder. There is no evidence that the cabin ever had a fireplace; it was one of the earliest cabins in the area to rely on a cast iron stove for cooking and heat. A luxury at the time, the home was also built with glass windows, whereas less fortunate settlers relied on oiled paper to provide the slightest natural light. , About The Builder , Born in 1818 in Allegany County, Maryland, Morgan was brought to Ohio as a small boy and grew up near Danville, in Knox County. At an early age Morgan took an interest in preaching, and became a minister of the Danville Brethren Church in 1838. He married Jerutia Priest, granddaughter of Loudonville's founder, James Loudon Priest, that same year and acquired the land where he built this cabin. To Morgan and Jerutia were born eleven children, five sons and six daughters. Jerutia died at the age of forty, in 1862. Shortly thereafter Morgan married Sarah Shorb, who birthed one son. , After the construction of his home, he organized the Plum Run Brethren, or “Dunkard”, Church, holding the first services in this cabin. As the congregation grew from the original four members to 150, he moved the services first to his barn and, finally, to a church he built near his home. Workman family history describes Morgan Workman as a large man with a powerful booming voice, capable of holding his listeners spellbound for hours. His habit of frequently clearing his throat with authoritative “ahems” helped keep his congregation attentive. , Morgan died in 1887 and was laid to rest in Plum Run Cemetery, located midway between this cabin's original and present site. He was laid to rest next to Jerutia, whose previous stone now stands next to this cabin, and later Sarah, who passed away in 1896.