1830 Log House A USC Landmark Andrew Guzzi Alexander Gilfillan, an ancestor of
the Gilfillans, whose farm was on Route 19 next to Westminster Church, was one of the original settlers in this area. He and his three brothers were ScotchIrish men in their teens and early twenties and immigrated to this country around 1760, before the American Revolution. Alexander owned the land where Upper St. Clair High School now sits; part of a 400-acre tract called “Cato” and built a log cabin on the land that is now St. Clair Country Club. It’s a common error to refer to all log structures as log cabins. A log house was a much more sophisticated structure than a log cabin, having two stories, wood flooring and glass windows. Log cabins were limited to one story, dirt floors and small window openings covered with linen or oiled paper, to keep out the elements. The 1830 Log House was one of four or five log houses built around 1830 in this area to house the families of hired men who worked the Gilfillan farm. A family could rent this type of house for three dollars a month. The 1830 Log House is the only one of the Gilfillan log houses still standing, and it is on the original spot where it was built. The house remained in the Gilfillan family until 1899 when it passed through a series of owners, including a blacksmith who built a lean-to on the rear and a lamplighter who eventually covered the building with siding, put on another addition and even added a front porch. In 1923 the parents of Jim Fulton, later the United States Congressman from the area, purchased the house. The Fultons had a permanent home in Dormont and used the log house as their summer home. A fire destroyed the frame structure surrounding the house in the 1960s. Upper St. Clair Township purchased the remaining log structure in 1972. The building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. In 1976, The Log House Restoration Committee completely restored the house, and it was open for visitors on July 4, 1976, the country’s Bicentennial. In 1977 the committee was incorporated and became the 1830 Log House and Historic Landmark Association. The association continues to maintain the house and open it for educational tours and community events. The Holiday Open House this year will be held on Sunday, December 5, from noon until 3 p.m. Andrew, a junior member of the 1830 Log House and Historic Landmark Association and a USCHS senior, researched and wrote this article for his International Baccalaureate project.
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UPPER ST. CLAIR TODAY
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