Homesteading

Homesteading. Historic Ethel Trail. Settlers would often fashion their own furniture from wood and as families grew, cabins would be extended or replaced with a bigger structure. Cooking was done outside, as indoor cast-iron stoves were too expensive for most families to afford., Close to the cabin would be a small enclosure for livestock and a kitchen garden growing crops and vegetables, such as sweet potatoes, corn and pumpkins. Hunting, fishing and foraging were essential for feeding the family., Most of Ethel's residents acquired land through the Homestead Act. These land deeds for 140 acres, required property owners to build a home and farm the land for five years., Most homes were one-room cabins built from fallen trees and about 16 feet square - smaller than the average hotel room. Gaps between logs were filled with mud and leaves, and the roof was covered with red cedar tiles laid on cedar trusses. Floors were often bare earth. If there was a window, it would face south for morning warmth and light from the sun and would be covered with paper or hide for weatherproofing. , (captions) , Source Florida Memory , Orange County Archives , Click Cabin, courtesy of the Click Family , A family cookout c. 1900. Florida Memory , Logs had notches which locked them together. No nails were used. Source, Florida Memory.