The oldest still standing log cabin in the USA is originally made by Finns / USA:n vanhin hirsimökki on alkuaan suomalaisten tekemä

Nothnagle Log House
Source: wikipedia

About one week ago, I read an article in a Finnish newspaper about the oldest log cabin in the USA. It was erected by the Finnish immigrants over 350 years ago. So, I think this building is worth a blog writing:

Viikko sitten luin suomalaisesta lehdestä artikkelin USA:n vanhimmasta hirsimökistä. Sen olivat pystyttäneet suomalaiset maahamuuttajat yli 350 vuotta sitten. Niinpä mielestäni tämä rakennus on blogikirjoituksen arvoinen

Nothnagle Log House,  built in the mid-1600's, is the oldest still standing wooden structure in North America.

1600-luvun puolivälissä rakennettu Nothnaglen hirsitalo on vanhin puinen rakennus pohjois-Amerikassa.

This historic house is located Swedesboro-Paulsboro Road in Gibbstown in Greenwich Township , Gloucester County, New Jersey. October 2014 it was undergoing repairs to fix cracks in the original facade. This Finnish-made log cabin, built between 1638 and 1643, was put on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. The house was built by the settlers in the New Sweden colony, and Scandinavian ironware from the 1590s is still extant around the fireplace. The fireplace is probably built of bricks brought over to North America as ship's ballast. The original cabin measures 16 by 22 feet, which indicates that the builders were relatively wealthy.

 Tämä historiallinen rakennus sijaitsee Swedesboro-Paulboro tien varressa Gibbstownissa, Greenwichin townshipissa, Cloucesterin piirikunnassa New Jereseyssä. Lokakuussa 2014 sen alkuperäisessä julkisivussa olevat halkeamat olivat korjausten kohteina. Suomalaisten rakentama hirsimökki, joka rakennettiin vuosien 1638 - 1643 välisenä aikana, lisättiin vuonna 1976 Kansallisten Historiallisten paikkojen luetteloon. Rakennuksen pystyttivät Uuden Ruotsin siirtokunnan asukkaat ja sen tulisijassa on yhä jäljellä skandivista rautaa 1590-luvulta. Tulisija on rakennettu mahdollisesti tiilistä, jotka on tuotu Pohjois-Amerikkaan laivan painolastina. Mökin alkuperäiset mitat olivat 16x22 jalkaa (5x7 metriä), mikä viestii siitä, että rakentajat olivat melko varakkaita.

The cabin is built of oak logs. Two logs were removable to provide ventilation during summer time. The logs are all constructed in what is called a "full dove-tail". It tells the builders were Finns because they were known to use dovetailed construction. The corners are carved in this angled manner as to make sure they cannot come apart. The cabin's original logs are all intact but one, which had to be replaced do to damage from ivy. Gravel was pounded between the chinks in the logs and no nails were used in the original construction. Instead of them hardwood pegs were used as fasteners. A wooden floor was built over the original dirt floor around 1730. A large addition to the original cabin was constructed in the early 18th century. People lived in the old part of the house until 1918.

Mökki on rakennettu tammitukeista. Kaksi tukeista pystyttiin poistamaan tuuletuksen järjestämiseksi kesäaikana.Kaikkien tukkien salvomisessa on käytetty ns. lohenpyrstösalvosta. Se kertoo että rakentajat olivat suomalaisia, sillä he olivat tunnettuja lohenpyrstösalvoksen käytöstä.  Nurkat on salvostettu tällä kulmittaisella tavalla, jotta voidaan varmistaa, etteivät ne pääse irtoamaan toisistaan. Mökin alkuperäiset tukit ovat edelleen "koskemattomia" yhtä lukuunottamatta, joka oli vaihdettava muratin vahingoitettua sitä. Tukkien rakoihin survottiin hiekkaa ja alkuperäisessa rakentamisessa ei käytetty nauloja. Niiden sijasta kiinnittämiseen käytettiin kovasta puusta tehtyjä tappeja. Alkuperäisen maalattian päälle rakennettiin puulattia vuoden 1730 tienoilla. Iso laajennus rakennettiin alkuperäiseen mökkiin 1700-luvulla. Talon vanhassa osassa asuttin aina vuoteen 1918 saakka.

The current owners, Harry and Doris Rink have been caring for the cabin, while living in a newer part of the structure. Rink's are very proud of their home. Harry Rink started working on the structure already in the 1940s when his aunt and uncle owned the place.In 1968 he bought the building

Nykyiset omistajat, Harry ja Doris Rink ovat pitäneet huolta mökista asuen samalla sen uudemmassa osassa. Rinkit ovat erittäin ylpeitä kodistaan. Harry Rink aloitti rakennuksen kanssa jo 1940-luvulla kun hänen  tätinsä ja setänsä omistivat paikan. Hän osti paikan vuonna 1968.

On October 25, 2014, South Jersey Times reporter Rebecca Forand wrote an interesting article about this  building and the repair work Rink's are doing:
6 things you might not know about the oldest log cabin in the United States, N.J.'s Nothnagle Cabin
 Here is another article in Finnish

Lokakuun 25. päivä vuonna 2014 South Jersey Times-lehden toimittaja Rebecca Forand kirjoitti mielenkiintoisen artikkelin tästä rakennuksesta ja siitä korjaustyöstä, jota Rinkin perhe tekee:6 things you might not know about the oldest log cabin in the United States, N.J.'s Nothnagle Cabin

Tässä yksi artikkeli lisää suomeksi

John Morton Homestead

John Morton Homestead signboard

Almost eight years ago, on June 10, 2012, I had opportunity to visit John Morton Homestead in Pennsylvania. Why was this place so important, that I was stopping here? Here some background:
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John Morton

John Morton was born in Ridley, Pennsylvania, in 1725 to descendents of Finnish immigrants.  Both Morton and his wife, Anna Justis, were descended from Finns who were among the first settlers in the marshy area along the Delaware River. This area—known as New Sweden—was part of a larger colony controlled by the Swedish crown in the 17th century. Morton's father died before he was born, so the future statesman's stepfather John Sketchley, an Englishman, helped raise him.

We know very little about Morton's childhood and early life. As an adult, he was a qualified leader who earned the respect and trust of his community.  Morton was a member and Speaker of Pennsylvania's Provincial Assembly for nearly three decades. He also served as High Sheriff of Chester County (now Delaware County) and as a justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.

In July 1776, Morton joined other members of the Continental Congress in Philadelphia and voted in favor of the Declaration of Independence, breaking the swing vote in the Pennsylvania delegation. Some say that without Morton's signature, the fate of fledgling republic may have been jeopardized. Morton also chaired the Continental Congress committee that wrote the Articles of Confederation, the predecessor of the U.S. Constitution.

Morton was not able to enjoy the fruits of independence. On April 1, 1777, at the age of 51, he became the first of the signers to die, most likely of tuberculosis. Legend has it that on his deathbed, Morton claimed that appending his name to the Declaration was the most important decision of his life.
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So, the reason I was visiting here was:
In all Finnish history books dealing with US history is written with great enthusiasm that one of the signatories of the United States Declaration of Independence had roots in Finland.

John Morton Homestead pictured in June, 2012

Morton Homestead

Morton Homestead is a historic homestead that is part of Morton Homestead State Park at 100 Lincoln Avenue in Prospect Park, Delaware County, Pennsylvania.
The homestead was founded in 1654 by Morton Mortenson, a Finnish immigrant, when the area was part of the New Sweden colony.
The site was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970. Here the background writing for the decision:

The Morton Homestead is doubly significant: First for its architecture and also for its association with the Morton family, which was a prominent in Pennsylvania in colonial times.

Architecturally, the Morton Homestead represents the type of dwelling the very earliest settlers in Pennsylvania built. The oldest part is a Swedish-Finnish log cabin built in 1654. An adjacent building of similar design was constructed in 1698. Both were originally of one story. In the late 1790’s the two buildings were connected by stone walls and the whole roof roofed over with clapboard, forming a second story. The last changes were made in 1835, these being alterations to the upstairs room. The building contains late 17^th furniture.

Morton Homestead was started by Morten Mortenson, a Swedish (actually Finnish) settler of 1654. The property remained for a long time in the hands of his descendants, the most noteworthy of whom was John Morton (1725-1777), chairman of Pennsylvania’s delegation to the convention which adopted the Declaration of Independence, and a signer of that document.

Here you will find also some information about John Morton Homestead and here more detailed written by Sharon Hernes Silverman in Pennsylvania Heritage Magazine.

More pics of John Morton Homestead

Which made me very disappointed during my stay at Morton Homestead, was that it was in a state of neglect. You can see it in following pics:

Information sheet is dirty

Were we this year the only ones who had sat on this bench?