| The Log House Homestead B & B
By Martha Hartley and Lucia Hyde Robinson
Photographs by David Fattaleh
Along a wooded, rural lane just off of US Route 50 near Cairo sits the Log House Homestead Bed and Breakfast. Flanked by a pond and well-kept farmland, the tidy cabin, with candlelit windows and rocking chairs on the broad front porch, is, at first glance, an idyllic country retreat. But the Log House’s charm runs far deeper than its inviting ambiance. A labor-of-love and the longtime dream of innkeepers Dick and Martha Hartley, the historically accurate log house was built by hand with many of the same construction techniques used by the area’s early European settlers.
 The Hartleys had been fascinated with historic log structures long before launching their own monumental construction project. Dick had been particularly fond of an old, two-story, dog-trot log house near his childhood home. He had also admired his grandparents’ log barn and a smokehouse and double-log corncrib near Martha’s family home. The couple also kept an eye out for remnants of old cabins during car trips on West Virginia’s back roads. An elderly uncle taught them how to hew logs, a skill he had learned from his father. The Hartleys eventually began photographing both well-known and unmarked log structures, examining the photographs for details like notches and chinking, window frames, door latches, flooring, and shingles. “I’m a dreamer,” Dick says, “I like to think in vivid detail.”
Dick’s gift for detail paid off in the authenticity and exquisite finishing touches of the Log House Homestead Bed and Breakfast. In 1992, armed with extensive log house research, Dick began hewing yellow poplar and oak logs harvested from the woods on the couple’s Ritchie County farm. He employed a small, 1948 tractor to haul the wood, and used block-and-tackle rigging and old debarking, measuring, and chalking techniques to shape it. Working with old hand tools, he poured hours of sweat and muscle into fashioning the hulking tree trunks into lumber. With a broad ax Dick turned round tree trunks into 8-inch-thick rectangular logs, some as wide as 19 inches. Five years and 44 logs later, Dick spent a summer cutting half dovetail notches in the end of each log. Then, with the help of talented craftsmen, laborers, and neighbors, the Hartleys turned their dream into a sturdy, accurate replica of a frontier house.
 Beside hand-hewn logs, other construction details include a massive walnut summer beam to support the second floor; wide white pine floor boards; and interior paneling made of native West Virginia woods, including cherry, walnut, maple, beech, hickory, and oak. The cabin has walnut doors with cherry door and window facings attached with cut nails. A blacksmith fashioned the inn’s fully functional box locks, thumb latches, and door hinges. Also functional are tin and brass lighting sconces. A stone fireplace and hand split roof shingles round out the structural details, while period furnishings contribute to the historical charm of the Log House.
Log cabins have been a part of West Virginia’s mountain landscape for more than two centuries. According to many historians, the first pioneer shelters were lean-to type sheds or log cabins made of round logs notched at the ends. Once the logs were cut, families organized a “house raising” that drew neighbors from miles away to help erect the cabin. These quick, simple dwellings were built without a single nail.
Often the construction of a cabin afforded pioneer families more than just shelter. Many settlers were given land on the frontier in exchange for agreeing to build a home and sow a crop of corn on the property. Under terms known as “corn rights,” the establishment of a cabin and crops frequently fulfilled the requirements of early land acquisition contracts.
 Many linguists believe that the word cabin is a Celtic term with a Latin derivation that means “temporary shelter.” Eventually squared, hewn log houses replaced cabins as more permanent residences. The building techniques used in log houses in western Virginia and their styles were strongly influenced by German and Scotch-Irish immigrants. Early Swedish and Finnish settlers further east had an indirect impact as well.
The Log House Homestead Bed and Breakfast may have all the hallmarks of an early mountain homestead, but guests are treated to a twenty-first-century standard of luxury and comfort. The main floor has a sitting area with a fireplace, a dining room, and a study. Upstairs, the cherry chamber has a queen-sized poster bed and the oak chamber has two double cannonball beds. Amenities include central heat and air, a luxurious tiled bath with shower and whirlpool tub, and a kitchenette with a small refrigerator and microwave. The cozy inn rents as a single unit and is perfect for honeymoons, anniversaries, and other special occasions.
 Martha completes the historic magic of the Log House Homestead Bed and Breakfast by serving delicious, traditional breakfast fare. Much of her cooking expertise comes from being a frontier docent, teaching hearth cooking, and doing historical foodways research. Knowing that delightful foods make for a memorable visit, Martha prepares hearty breakfasts, such as Log House Swiss and ham casserole or wheat-oatmeal pancakes with pork chops, accompanied by fresh fruit, muffins, and bread and jam. Breakfasts can be delivered in baskets to the Log House or eaten in the dining room of the adjacent farmhouse. In keeping with their motto, “You may come as guests, but we want you to leave as friends,” the Hartleys’ service is personal and attentive.
Nearby attractions make the Log House a good base for a variety of recreation. Using the North Bend Rail Trail that swings near the bed and breakfast, guests can mountain bike or hike two miles east to North Bend State Park, or head west to the town of Cairo. Originally known as Egypt, Cairo was settled in 1856 along the Hughes River and the old B & O rail line. A number of stops make the quaint town of Cairo worth a visit. R. C. Marshall Hardware, built circa 1890, encourages visitors to browse through thousands of items from bygone decades. Fine handcrafts and gifts can be found at A Gallery Called Made in West Virginia, The Cat’s Paw Jewelry, and the Hillbilly Gift. The Village Inn restaurant serves lunch and dinner, and The Scoop––a 1950s ice cream parlor complete with soda fountain and juke box––dishes up wonderful treats. The Country Trails Bike Shop rents bikes, and the infamous Tunnel 19 (the site of the folk story “The Phantom of Silver Run” in William Price’s book Tales and Lore of the Mountaineers) is a short ride west on the rail trail.
 Further afield, the hamlets of Harrisville, Ellenboro, and Pennsboro offer family-owned restaurants, specialty shops, and museums. For more information about Ritchie County attractions, contact the visitors bureau in Cairo at 304-628-3777 or the chamber of commerce in Harrisville at 304-643-2500. For information or reservations at the Log House Homestead Bed and Breakfast, call the Hartleys at 304-628-3249 or visit their Web site: www.loghousehomestead.com.
Innkeeper Martha Hartley is a researcher of frontier cuisine and cooking methods. Her husband, Dick, is a student of frontier building methods. Together they provided the original text and background research for this article.
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The Log House Homestead B & B
