A nearly 200-year-old log cabin that stood along the Elkhart River in the Waterford area has been dismantled and moved as part of an effort by Elkhart County Parks to restore and reuse the structure.
The 20-by-22-foot cabin, built in 1834, was donated by property owner Terry Cobbs, who had hoped to preserve it himself but turned to the parks department when the project became too large.
“He had hoped a long time ago to do restoration himself, but you know how time gets away and so he was looking for partners… but he really wanted it to be open for the public,” said Donny Aleo, deputy director of interpretive services for Elkhart County Parks.
The cabin was largely overlooked as a historic structure until the 1980s, when Cobbs removed the exterior siding.
“It was long forgotten as a cabin until the 80s when the current owner took the siding off and revealed the logs, which was a very magical experience,” Aleo said.
This fall, the department hired Yoder Log and Timber Pros to tag, dismantle and move the cabin to a secure storage site. The logs will remain there until the county raises the rest of the money needed to rebuild it at River Preserve County Park.
Aleo said the cabin’s condition surprised even the restoration crew.
“For being almost 200 years old and basically sitting in the elements since the late 80s, it’s in really good shape. There’s only a few logs that need to be replaced,” he said.
The parks department hopes the restored building will serve as space for school field trips, workshops and interpretive programming. Aleo said it also offers a direct connection to the earliest pioneer years of Elkhart County.
“Again, it’s the industrial and the agricultural grit of the people that came here… and I think we still have that in Elkhart County,” he said.
Elkhart County Parks is continuing to raise funds for the restoration.
