Honest Abe model, called the Shenandoah. It and it’s “big sister” the Springfield model were featured in the first Honest Abe catalog in the early 1980’s. “Two of the first three models I sold were these models”, said Denton. Denton explains, “This look was very popular in log home catalogs in the 1970’s and 1980’s. They were a spin-off of the “Oliver Cabin” in the Cove, or a look-a-like of it.” He explains that so many early pioneer cabins had this look, as well as another look that had a main section with a wing off the back. “Many Clay County early homes of the late 1880’s and early 1900’s had this look. This is the reason I always liked the look, and probably the reason I chose to build it as our original www.honestabe.com
model. Almost every log home company had models such as this, and our contact base of prospects seemed to demand this look. We sold so very many of these models.” “One of the historical reasons for the popularity of this style (especially with a wing off the back like the Davis house in Cherokee, NC) was due to the length of supporting timbers. The main section and the wing were both fairly narrow. They had to be because lengths of structural timbers were often hard January 2012 • Honest Abe Monthly • 4