From Historical Times to Present, Cabins Have Always Been In Style

Cabins have always been in style. Maybe it’s the picturesque allure of having your own place tucked beneath a canopy of lush green branches, cicadas humming overhead and a bubbling brook calling nearby. Or maybe it’s the idea of being able to get away from the rat-race at a moment’s notice, with your very own escape waiting for you just around the next bend. Whatever it is, we at Leland’s Cabins celebrate our national fascination with log-cabin getaways, whether they are Texas log cabins or otherwise.

The Nothnagle Cabin located in Gibbstown, New Jersey, may harken back to America’s earliest days, but it’s certainly drawing modern-day enthusiasts. Considered the oldest surviving log cabin in the United States, it is thought to have been built between 1638 and 1643. And the Nothnagle is going on the market for the first time in 50 years. For a meager $2.9 million, you can make this 17th-century home that’s listed with the National Register of Historic Places your very own.

Nevermind that repairs have to be made using local clay, and the interlocking square-hewn logs don’t require nails, this cabin has been preserved for the public to enjoy. The owners, who have treasured their many decades amid the hardwood oak walls of the cabin, lovingly cared for this historical gem and gave free tours to curious visitors. Read more about the Nothnagle cabin’s details and learn about its fascinating history.

Historical Log Cabins

The Nothnagle isn’t the only historical log cabin Texas builders like Leland’s have heard about lately. Another recent log-cabin report features a couple in Dublin, Ohio, who discovered a near-perfect log cabin behind one of the walls inside the property they’d purchased and were preparing to raze. When they tore off some interior paneling of knotty pine and drywall, much to their surprise they found walnut and beech logs.

As they halted the demolition of the house they’d purchased and kept excavating their remarkable new find, they finally uncovered the treasure within: a two-story log cabin in near-perfect condition, estimated to have been built between 1820 and 1840. Some of the hidden cabin’s logs measured over 16 inches wide and 30 feet long.

The cabin will be dismantled and rebuilt at another location where the public can visit and enjoy it.

But historical structures aren’t the only log cabins making the news. In Tulsa, Oklahoma, Philbrook Museum of Art plans to construct a full-scale illuminated log cabin as a permanent structure to be included on the museum’s lush grounds. Minnesota artist Karl Unnasch plans to position the 20-foot by 30-foot structure near the museum’s Teaching Edible Garden. While not exactly like the prefab log cabins Texas offers, Unnasch’s cabin will be built using wood reclaimed from a Wisconsin log cabin that dates to the 1880s.

What gives the Tulsa log cabin an artistic bent is the use of stained glass, which the artist plans to use in between the boards, roof, and all the windows. The roof is to be constructed to give viewers the impression of a patchwork quilt, and LED lights embedded into the stained glass will illuminate the cabin at night.

But while an artistic installment may be beautiful, it’s even better to be able to step inside your functional log cabin and enjoy your time in the woods. For those of you who prefer even more nature in your nature, there’s DD16, a floating micro-cabin that’s built to withstand remote locations and extreme environments. Developed by Russian designers BIO Architects, the cabin runs off-the-grid and uses solar power.

Its one-bedroom, one-bath interior features a main living room, kitchenette, and room for a dining table, along with a wood-burning stove for frosty nights. At a cozy 172 square feet, with a 75 square-foot deck, this prefab cabin is supported by pontoons that allow it to float on the water. While Leland’s offers a cabin superstore in Grandview for interested customers, this cabin can be viewed only by rowing a small boat across a Moscow-area lake, where it is on display.

From Texas to New Jersey, from Ohio to Moscow, you can see how cabin living can really take you places. Especially when you consider all the savings you pocket by avoiding the steep mortgage that comes with traditional home ownership. But in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, cabin life can take you somewhere unexpected: the members-only, ultra-exclusive Snake River Sporting Club.

Snake River now offers four wooden cabins not much larger than a covered wagon but light-years beyond Laura Ingalls Wilder’s accommodations. Book one of the Discovery Village cabins and you can enjoy the fabulous amenities the way the club’s members do, only without the pricey fees and membership dues. From horseback riding to golf to cross-country skiing, even heli-skiing, it’s all yours for the playing when you rent a cabin, not to mention the neighboring playground of 3.5 million acres of national forest. Consider this a true vacation hack.

These one-bedroom cabins feature a decked-out kitchen, queen-size bed, and full-size bathroom. But if you’re tempted by one of the other spectacular cabins you’ll see on the Snake River Sporting Club’s grounds, take a look at the $2.4 million price tag.

And if that cabin cost isn’t stunning enough, there’s the $12.95 million, custom-built “cabin” for sale in Aspen, Colorado. At just under 9,000 square feet and boasting seven bedrooms, seven bathrooms, and seven acres, this home recently went on sale as a luxurious getaway with “rustic charm.” It features hard-to-find materials like reclaimed beams from the 1988 wildfire in Yellowstone National Park and walls lined with Aspen bark.

While we’re all about rustic charm and woodsy escapes, as well as decked-out cabins that feature luxurious upgrades, we’ve got something going for us these other cabins do not. And that’s our price tag. Check out all of these national beauties, then stop by one of our showrooms and take a look at one of our nine Leland’s cabins models. We’ll make your cabin-in-the-woods dreams come true without turning your bank account into a nightmare.