The O’Farrell Cabin

The O’Farrell Cabin. . In June 1863, John O’Farrell cleared his land and built this single-room cabin for his young wife and family on the block across Fort Street to the south. The cabin is made with logs from cottonwood trees, which were abundant along the Boise River. The crookedness of the logs was improved by flattening the outer and inner sides with a broadaxe. The corners where [sic] steeple-notched to drain water and prevent rot. The spaces between the logs were chinked with small branches and filled with clay mortar. When first built, it probably had a pole roof and gable end walls made of logs. The interior walls were covered with fabric nailed to the logs and the cabin had a dirt floor., 1864 , Locally produced bricks and sawn lumber became available a year after the original construction. O’Farrell soon made the cabin more livable by replacing the pole roof with cut rafters and five rows of hand-split shingles as seen today. The gable ends were replaced with board and batten siding. The inside walls, ceiling and floor were covered with planks. A brick fireplace supplemented the original stove. The inside walls and ceilings were wallpapered, and a hinged door and glass windows were installed. The family lived in the cabin until O’Farrell built a frame house. In 1892 they moved into the large brick house which stands today at the corner of Fourth and Franklin Streets., 1910 , In 1910 the O’Farrell children offered the cabin to the Daughters of the American Revolution on the condition it could be moved and kept as a historic home. The D.A.R. secured this small site facing Fort Street from the U.S. Army and raised money for the cabin’s relocation in 1911. Prior to the relocation, the original wallpaper had deteriorated and the walls and ceilings were painted a pale yellow., 1912 , Many prominent citizens contributed to the relocation and first restoration of the cabin. The work totalling $173.12 included replacing the roof shingles and a damaged log, and rebuilding the chimney and fireplace using some of the original bricks. The interior walls and ceiling were painted white. A bronze memorial plaque [illegible] the door in 1915. In [illegible] repaired the roof and [illegible] The floor boards were [illegible] over a concrete slab. In [illegible] furniture was installed and the cabin was occasionally used for social events. , 1957 , By 1957 the D.A.R. could no longer maintain the cabin and ownership passed to the Sons and Daughters of the Idaho Pioneers. They installed a protective roof structure over the entire cabin, placed iron bars on the windows, made other repairs and rected the monument to the west. The Sons and Daughters maintained the cabin for a number of years. Eventually the City of Boise accepted ownership of the cabin. In spite of the protective roof, the cabin continued to decay., 1979 , The Boise City Historic Preservation Commission became aware of the cabin’s condition and completed a preliminary restoration study. A restoration report was funded by the Idaho Heritage Trust in 1995. Charles Hummel, along with the Columbian Club organized a fund drive in 1999, which was augmented by a major contribution from the City’s Millenium Fund. Sufficient funds were available by 2001 to fully restore the heavily deteriorated, 138-year-old cabin and the work was started under the direction of the Boise Parks and Recreation Department., 2002 , At a cost of $51,000, the cabin has been renovated and freed from its protective veil, barred windows and chain-link fence. New roof shingles faithful to the original, numerous replacement logs and floor boards, new thinking and paint has returned the cabin to its condition as in 1912. Careful research uncovered the earliest paint colors used inside and on the door and window casing. The cabin retains 85% of its original construction and is on the National Register of Historic Places. It is the oldest family home in the city and one of Boise’s most important landmarks.