C. A. Nothnagle Log House, also known as Braman-Nothnagle Log House, is a historic house on Swedesboro-Paulsboro Road in
Gibbstown, New Jersey
Gibbstown is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located within Greenwich Township, in Gloucester County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the CDP's population was 3,739. and is one of the oldest
log house
A log house, or log building, is a structure built with horizontal logs interlocked at the corners by notching. Logs may be round, squared or hewn to other shapes, either handcrafted or milled. The term "log cabin" generally refers to a smal ...
s in the United States.
The older part of the house was built sometime between 1638 and 1643 by Finnish settlers in the colony of
New Sweden
New Sweden () was a colony of the Swedish Empire between 1638 and 1655 along the lower reaches of the Delaware River in what is now Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Established during the Thirty Years' War when Sweden was a g ...
, and Nordic ironware from the 1590s is still extant around the fireplace. The fireplace was probably built of bricks brought to America as ship's ballast.
The original cabin measures 16 by 22 feet, which indicates that the builders were relatively well off; an average-sized dwelling of the period was 12 by 12 feet. It is built of oak logs, and two logs were removable to provide ventilation in the summer. The logs were double dovetailed to provide a close fit, and gravel was pounded between the chinks in the logs. No nails were used in the original construction; hardwood pegs were used as fasteners. There is no ridgepole in the roof. People lived in this part of the house until 1918.
[
A large addition was constructed in the early 18th century. A wooden floor was built over the original dirt floor around 1730. The house was added to the ]National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
in 1976 and is still privately owned. The cabin is opened for tours by appointment through owner Doris Rink, who resides in the adjoining structure.
See also
* List of the oldest buildings in New Jersey
*List of the oldest buildings in the United States
This article lists the oldest buildings in the United States and its territories. The list includes sites in current U.S. state, states and Territories of the United States, territories which were not part of the original Thirteen Colonies when th ...
*
References
External links
Nothnagle Log Cabin
{{NRHP in Gloucester County, New Jersey
Greenwich Township, Gloucester County, New Jersey
Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in New Jersey
Houses in Gloucester County, New Jersey
Log cabins in the United States
National Register of Historic Places in Gloucester County, New Jersey
New Jersey Register of Historic Places
Log buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in New Jersey
1685 establishments in New Jersey
Houses completed in 1685
Swedish-American history
Finnish-American history
Swedish American culture in New Jersey
Finnish-American culture in New Jersey
New Sweden