Rescued Structures

Adam Sheib Log House circa 1760 - August 1999

Secluded by trees and hidden beneath layers of siding, whitewash and asbestos shingles, sat a seemingly ordinary 2 1/2 story farmhouse on Towamencin Avenue in Hatfield, PA. During a visit to the property to purchase a barn, Mike Hart spotted the house and recognized its architectural clues. Not wasting any time, Mike purchased the log house and barn. For the next several weeks, Mike and his crew stripped away the modern layers to expose a circa 1760 Germanic log dwelling constructed with handmade nails, a central fireplace and hinges for Dutch doors. They also discovered that the front of the house used to be the back. Apparently, in the 1860s the owners gutted the cabin and flipped it. Mike believes that the log house could be one of only 5 or 6 preserved in the area, and it may very well be the best-preserved. Hart described the condition of the log house, "On a scale of 1 to 10, this is a 10." He further categorized his find as a "dream log cabin."

Local genealogists discovered the name of the family that originally owned this cabin, but it is spelled numerous ways in public records, including: Scheib, Scheip, Shipe, Sheive, Sherp and Scheive. However, the original owner's first name was Adam and an inventory list of his belongings exists. This list included: barn tools, livestock, household furniture, kettle and hay in loft. Excited about this discovery Mike said, "I have my shopping list now."

In a similar situation 30 years ago, a log cabin was rescued by an architectural historian driving through Towamencin who stopped for a closer look at a small house with peeling stucco and siding. Under several layers, he found a log house built in early 1700s. That structure was also destined for the wrecking ball so that the land could be subdivided. However, they soon discovered that the house was the birthplace of Sarah Morgan, mother of Daniel Boone. The Sheib log house is almost a twin sister to the Morgan log house.

The Foundation is planning to rebuild the Sheib log house and barn on its future architectural preserve. Stay tuned for more details.

Back to Rescued Structures