Stone cabins were less common than log buildings in early Appalachian life, but families made do with what was readily at hand — and there was no shortage of rock.
So I wasn’t surprised when I discovered the remains of a stone cabin in the woods off the road leading to the mountain-top radio towers off Tatham Gap Road. The cabin was about a mile from the fork where the road splits on its route from Andrews, North Carolina, to Robbinsville.
It offered a near perfect example of how families lived in these mountains in the late 1700- and early 1800s.
The remains of the rock cabin and outhouse along Radio-Tower Road are typical of homes from that era.
They can seem almost impossibly small to us now. It’s a windowless structure, roughly 16 feet by 20 feet — perhaps a bit smaller — but enough back in those days to shelter a full family.
The outhouse or privy sits about 100 feet away, and also is made of stone. The nearest neighbor was likely miles away.
The cabins were known as “pens” for their windowless, solid wall designs. They had a single door and a large fireplace for cooking and heat. The emphasis during construction was on speed of building, and function and durability over comfort.
They were built to last and survive harsh winters and mountain storms. Apart from the roof, this one has survived some 200 years of mountain winters and summers.
