Historic Log Cabin

Historic Log Cabin. . Considered Skokie's oldest structure, this log cabin was built by Nicholas and Elizabeth Meyer circa 1847 and was located near the northwest corner of Lincoln Avenue and Gross Point Road. The cabin's logs were cut from oak and walnut trees found along the Des Plaines River, some weighing as much as 1,000 pounds. The material between the logs was a mix of lake sand, horse hair, clay, straw and water. The Meyers used a cast iron stove for cooking and heating., Nicholas Meyer came to the United States from Switzerland and Elizabeth Meyer emigrated from the Alsace-Lorraine region in Western Europe. The Meyers lived in the southern United States before settling in Skokie, then known as Niles Centre., The Meyers raised eight children in this 16 foot by 24 foot structure. The children slept on the second floor on straw covered by animal skins. One of the children, Samuel Meyer, recalled: "It was in the midst of forest. Our pigs fattened on acorns and we could pick buckets of blueberries. One time, we had 15 deer hanging nearby.", Nicholas Meyer became a successful farmer and wheel maker. Later, the Meyers built a residence near present day East Prairie Road and Greenleaf Street, where Elizabeth Meyer gave birth to four more children. Around 1875, Jacob Meyer who was born in 1857, the same year that his father Nicholas died, moved back to this cabin with his new bride, Margaret Harrer., Over the years, the cabin was altered for use as a chicken coup, garage, and shed. The last private owner of the property discovered the log cabin under metal siding. After researching its origins, the owner deeded the cabin to the Village of Skokie in 1974. The cabin was then moved to storage until a new location could be found., In 1982, the reconstruction of the log cabin began at this location. The cabin was pieced together like a jigsaw puzzle using the same materials and tools that the Meyers would have used in 1847. The interior cabin furnishings are similar to those the Meyer Family would have used in the mid to late 1800s., Village Officials at the time of the cabin's reconstruction were:, Albert J. Smith, Mayor , Marlene Williams, Village Clerk , Robert S. Fritzshall, Trustee , Jackie Gorell, Trustee , Frank G. McCabe, Trustee , Charles J. Conrad, Trustee , Manly R. Croft, Trustee , William J. Elliott, Trustee , Harvey Schwartz, Corporation Counsel , Robert J. Eppley, Village Manager, Restoration architect: , T.S. Hatzold and Associates, Inc, Itasca, Illinois.