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C.A. Nothnagle Log House, ca. 1638-1643, Greenwich Township, NJ

he oldest log cabin on U.S. soil was two removeable logs were installed on one side
built by Antti Niilonpoika, a Finnish wall which were then removed to let a breeze
Tsettler better known by his anglicized in. In 1730, the family installed a loblolly pine
name Anthony Neilson. He and his decen- floor and added a staircase to the second floor.
dents owned this simple one-room cabin for The simple fireplace was set on bricks in the
over one hundred years. The family attached a asymmetric pattern. These were brought from
more “modern” home to the cabin during the Europe and used as ship’s ballast. The iron pot
18th century, but continued to maintain the hangers for cooking over the fire are dated back
original structure. to the 1590s.
In the 1940s, a young Henry Rink would When the Rinks started to restore the
visit his relatives at the home and help out with original log cabin, they were pleased to learn all
chores while hanging out with his relatives. of the original logs except for one were all
Later, in 1968, Henry and his wife, Doris, intact. The interior had been covered by plas-
purchased the home and took on the ter and “you couldn’t see any of the original
painstaking work of complete restoration of the cabin. logs,” according to Henry back in 2000 when speaking with the New
The Nothnagle cabin was built of York Times. Thanks to the couple’s efforts to stay true to the cabin’s
white oak square-hewn logs that original construction methods, using clay and mud to fill in the cracks
feature fitted dovetail joints and of the oak logs. The clay was brought in from a farm 20 miles away in
wooden dowels, allowing the struc- order to maintain authenticity.
ture to be made without nails. This Once work was underway, the Rinks set up the space as a small
16’ x 22’ foot building began life museum and gave
with dirt floors and a second floor tours to visitors.
children’s sleeping loft reachable only The cabin was
by ladder. While most families start- added to the
ed home life in a 12’ x 12’ sized National Register
dwelling, the Neilson’s may have had of Historic Places
a somewhat wealthy income to afford in 1976. The
this larger structure. home is currently
To help weather the hot summer being offed for
months, a type of “17th century air sale. The listing
conditioning” was created in which price is $750,000.

The Joseph Loomis House, ca. 1640-1654, Windsor, CT

he Loomis Homestead in Windsor, circa 1910 to pool their considerable fortunes and
CT, which dates back to the first charter a school to open after their deaths
Tfew years of the town’s settlement, is and continue their legacy. Initially, they
one of the oldest existing timber-frame donated the surrounding farmland of the
houses in America. The oldest part of the original homestead for the grounds of what
house, an ell adjacent to the main house, is became Loomis Chaffee, a college prepara-
believed to have been built between 1640 tory school for boarding and day students
and 1653 by Joseph Loomis, who came to in grades 9–12. The old house itself, how-
America from England in 1638 with his ever, remained in the Loomis family until
wife Mary and their eight children. the last descendent from this line, Miss
After a three-month voyage aboard the Jennie Loomis, deeded it to the Loomis
Susan and Ellen, the Loomis family arrived Institute in 1901. She remained in the
in Boston and initially settled in Dorchester. house until she died in 1944.
The following year, 1639, the family joined Shortly before her death, Jennie reno-
several other Massachusetts colonists and relocated to the Connecticut vated the main section of the house, which included restoring the interior
River Valley. A year later, Joseph was granted 21 acres of land in wood paneling to its original appearance. About a decade later, the older
Windsor, located along the south side of the Farmington River, just to section was restored on both the interior and exterior; the most noticeable
the west of its confluence with the Connecticut River. He built this orig- change being the removal of the porch on the right side of the house. The
inal section of the house soon after, on a section of raised land that was exterior of the house has not significantly changed, and it remains a well-
known as “The Island” because the surrounding meadows would often preserved example of 17th century saltbox-style architecture.
flood during the spring, effectively making the property an island. Today, the Loomis Homestead remains a part of the Loomis
With Mary’s death in 1652 and then Joseph’s in 1658, the couple’s Chaffee
son, John, inherited the property. Deacon John Loomis is known to campus and
have built the main section of the house in 1688, presumably to accom- is used as a
modate the eleven sons and two daughters he had with his wife residence
Elizabeth. John Loomis died that same year, and the addition is for faculty
believed to have been finished by his son as well as a
Timothy, who inherited the house next. Later museum
additions to the Loomis house were made and memo-
around the turn of the eighteenth century. rial to the
In the 1870s, when five Loomis siblings lost Loomis
all of their children, the family jointly decided family.

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