A New Historic Log Village Rises in Abingdon

Jan. 14, 2011 - PRLog -- Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom –  In Abingdon, Virginia, a local man and history enthusiast shows off the village that he built. For the last ten years, Emmit Yeary has been devoted to recreating an old Virginia village in the backyard of his home. His efforts have paid off, and there is now a new historic log village in Southwest Virginia.(http://www.smallloghomes.org)
It all started when plans for a three-story parking deck for the courthouse in Washington County reached Yeary's ears. In order to create the parking deck, they would have to tear down an old log cabin. Yeary, who believes in preserving historic buildings decided to buy the log cabin, moving the entire structure to his backyard. From there, more followed. Now he has what seems to be a small log village, and all of the structures are historical. Among his buildings and outbuildings, he has a stone from Smyth County, a blacksmith's shop made of old pieces from fallen or deteriorating structures, and chestnut beams which are so old they are said to have been hewn by slaves. He also has a horse-drawn wagon.
For Yeary, the preservation of historic buildings is extremely important. He believes that tearing down an old structure or not taking care of older structures well enough so that they end up succumbing to the elements is just like tearing down important bits of American heritage. By preserving these historic structures, and preserving them in the state of Virginia, (as opposed to the many historic buildings that have been sold and shipped out of the state) Yeary believes that he is helping remind people where they came from, while teaching the youth the history of the country.
Yeary is not alone in this endeavor. Many organizations and societies, like the Friends of Log cabins Association, are now focusing their efforts to preserving America's old log homes, especially those built in the southern parts of the country since these are among the very first ever built in the country. Log homes in the east coast are also being protected and preserved, such as the Koester Log Cabin which was recently acquired by the Apple River Fort Foundation.
Despite the many efforts people like Emmit Yeary and various societies have given, many believe that they need to increase awareness for log cabin preservation. In a country with so many log homes at risk of  being destroyed or forgotten, more Emmit Yearys, who are willing to devote their lives and land to preserving these historic pieces are needed.