By KATHY MELLOTT
CRESSON — If the walls of a more than 200-year-old cabin could talk, they may well tell stories of early stagecoach travelers, Indian traders and military men.
Recently discovered under layers of exterior siding and decades of improvements is a rectangular log building possibly dating back to the late 1700s and thought to be one of the earliest structures in the region.
Located just feet away from Admiral Peary Highway – old Route 22 – near the Summit in Cresson Township, the cabin has served for the past century as a private home, but its original purpose and adaptive reuse during the 1800s have history buffs scurrying to the Cambria County Courthouse in search of old documentation.
“We always thought it was something old,” said Joyce Pigza, a Cresson area resident who along with her husband, Andrew, owned the house from 1963 to 1970. “I knew there was a fireplace enclosed and the basement was a mud floor. We knew it was an old house.”
The mystery of the house started to unfold about six weeks ago when Frank Sibis, owner of the land where it is located, took steps to enlarge his used car lot.
As the siding was peeled away, thick wooden logs and native stone were revealed catching the eyes of passers-by and members of the Cresson Area Historical Association.
“This is what we see coming down the mountain,” said association member Etta Albright.
“One side of the siding was taken off, the logs exposed and a sign reading ‘You Move – For Sale.’ ”
Word spread quickly and Blair County resident Roland Cadle learned of the building.
Cadle, owner of Village Restorations & Consulting of Frankstown, is a historic architect and craftsman who played a role in the restoration of Bedford’s Coffee Pot restaurant.
“I think this building is one of the oldest known first period buildings in this area. It was built on site,” said Cadle of the oddly shaped structure measuring 18 feet by 30 feet.
“It was built using an ax. They walked out into the woods and built it,” he said.
It’s six feet longer than a standard log cabin of that day, requiring significantly more timber and work. This suggests that it may have been a military building or a stagecoach stop along the route west.
With time at a premium, Cadle spent about $10,000 to get the building as it now stands, and faces a two-week deadline to have it dismantled and off site.
Plans are to move it down the mountain for storage until the association or someone else steps up to take ownership.
“For us the ultimate would be to keep it in the Cresson area, but if the Cresson area does not want to retain the building, we will bring it to our shop in Altoona and offer it for sale,” he said.
Meanwhile, the title search continues, with Cadle looking toward a possible link to the Allegheny Portage Railroad of the 1800s.
Perhaps the structure was used to house men building the railroad, Albright said.
If such a link is found, it could be of interest to the National Park Service, said Keith Newlin, deputy superintendent for western Pennsylvania.
“I think it probably warrants a lot greater research, it needs to be supplemented and documented,” Newlin said.
Historic find
What is known about the log structure.
• Discovered under siding of a longtime private residence on Admiral Peary Highway, Cresson.
• Earliest deed found so far dates to 1801.
• Could date several years earlier.
• Original building measures 18 feet by 30 feet – larger than the usual house of that time.
• Made of polar logs.
• Built by two different builders using an ax at a time when a cross-cut saw was available.
• May have been a military post, stagecoach stop or Indian trading post.
• A second story, front windows and door were added in the 1890s.
