A Cabin in the Woods

A Cabin in the Woods. . Spring Valley's log cabin represents the hopes and dreams of a young man as well as the bitter loss and sadness caused by the Great Depression. , , John Redeker built the log cabin, constructed of cypress trees from Mississippi, in 1927. It served as his temporary home and office when he opened the Redeker Peony Farm. He was born and raised in Arlington Heights and his great-grandfather, grandfather, and father farmed in this area. , , Tragically, John died at a young age in 1930. The cause of his untimely death is unknown. His mother, sister, and family friends continued to tend the peony beds and maintain the business John had started. In spite of their efforts, the business failed during the Great Depression, and Frank Merkle acquired the land after paying taxes owed on the property. , , Mr. Merkle and his family continued to tend the peony beds for many years, but mainly used the cabin as a weekend retreat. He raised pheasants, swans, and peacocks in the little wooden shed located nearby and allowed visitors to hunt pheasants. The Merkles also built the brick addition to the cabin and planted many of the pine, spruce, and maple trees currently found nearby. , , [Caption for the two photos on the left:] , Two views of the original cabin, showing the open north-facing _ porch, now enclosed. Notice how few trees existed back then. , , [Captions for the two photos on the right:] , John Redeker shown reading a book on peonies in his newly furnished log cabin. , , A view of the cabin in later years after Mr. Merkle had built the brick addition and introduced swans to the pond.