Scanlon Farm (also known as the Scanlon Log House) is a late 19th-century

loghouse 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 sma ...

and farm overlooking Three Churches Run east of the

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either hav ...

of Three Churches,

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the ...

. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artist ...

on February 3, 1988.

Architecture

Exterior

The farm's main structure is the Scanlon Log House, a two-story log structure built around 1840 by the Larimore family and acquired by the Scanlon family in the 1860s. It is a folk house of the Midland tradition, in the early German settlement era pattern. The house is one room deep and linear in design with external

chimney A chimney is an architectural ventilation structure made of masonry, clay or metal that isolates hot toxic exhaust gases or smoke produced by a boiler, stove, furnace, incinerator, or fireplace from human living areas. Chimneys are t ...

s on both

gable A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aest ...

ends of the house. The logs in its construction are squared, hand-hewn, and laid horizontally, notched on the ends, and with narrow chinking. (Chinking refers to the mortar between the logs). There are vertical end logs that serve to anchor the structure's four corners. The two massive stone chimneys are original to the house, although the east side has been partially rebuilt. The side-gable roof is moderately pitched and is composed of

slate Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. It is the finest grained foliated metamorphic ro ...

. The Scanlon Log House was constructed in two sections: the east side being the original section built by the Larimore family and the western half was added around 1865 by Thomas Scanlon shortly after the Scanlon family acquired the property. To the rear of the house and slightly to the west stands the remains of a large stone chimney. This chimney (circa 1840) served the detached kitchen which itself disappeared in the 19th century.

Interior

The interior of the Scanlon Log House consists of a "two rooms over two rooms" arrangement with a narrow winding staircase connecting the two floors. The two bedrooms on the second floor are slightly smaller than their corresponding rooms on the first floor, with a small connecting room. Overhead beams are exposed on the interior, and the interior walls are composed of unadorned vertical wood siding. A wooden mantelpiece graces the end of the first floor

parlor A parlour (or parlor) is a reception room or public space. In medieval Christian Europe, the "outer parlour" was the room where the monks or nuns conducted business with those outside the monastery and the "inner parlour" was used for necessa ...

. Much of the furnishings on the interior are original Scanlon family pieces.

Contributing structures

To the rear of the Scanlon Log House are two adjacent outbuildings, both dating from the 19th century. One is a one-story, wood-frame, gable- roof

smoke house A smokehouse (North American) or smokery (British) is a building where meat or fish is cured with smoke. The finished product might be stored in the building, sometimes for a year or more.

with wide vertical siding. Next to it is a slightly smaller gable-roof, wood outbuilding that serves as a privy. The privy is characterized by

whitewash Whitewash, or calcimine, kalsomine, calsomine, or lime paint is a type of paint made from slaked lime (calcium hydroxide, Ca(OH)2) or chalk calcium carbonate, (CaCO3), sometimes known as "whiting". Various other additives are sometimes used. ...

ed vertical narrow boards and some slightly decorative

woodwork Woodworking is the skill of making items from wood, and includes cabinet making ( cabinetry and furniture), wood carving, joinery, carpentry, and woodturning. History Along with stone, clay and animal parts, wood was one of the first mate ...

over the door and along the roof line on the exterior. Also on the Scanlon Farm is the two-story, gable-roof, wood-sided

barn A barn is an agricultural building usually on farms and used for various purposes. In North America, a barn refers to structures that house livestock, including cattle and horses, as well as equipment and fodder, and often grain.Allen ...

constructed in the 19th century.

References

External links