Log House, Fleming County, Kentucky

As I type this, a cacophony of sound mills about me – the rain striking the windows, thunder off in the distance, a screaming baby, the sound of the sump pump working to keep our cellar dry(ish) – and I am thinking about old houses, open to the elements and crumpling more into the ground from the incessant rain. The last time I was in the field and interacting with people was March 12 of this year, and on the way back home, I glimpsed this house on a hill, siding torn away to reveal the logs underneath, and I can’t help wondering what stories the rooms hold. The rain makes me worry about its fate.

It’s hard to believe that I’ve now spent seven weeks at home with my husband and two small children, gamely snatching an hour or so each day to exercise my brain, work, and contemplate all the lovely topics I would love to write about – but hours spent researching and writing seem very, very far away right now. (The half hour I am stealing away right now is the height of luxury!)

The two story house is three bays wide, with a ubiquitous cladding of green-tinged vinyl siding, and unfortunate modern picture widows on the first story. The second story windows, however, appear to be wooden, 6/6 double-hung sash windows. A two story portico (possibly a 20th century addition, as the proportions are a little off) is centered  on the facade, over doors on both the first and second stories.

There is only one chimney visible, an exterior brick chimney on the south gable end of the house. My guess is that the south end of the house is log, and was expanded to the north to form a typical (in appearance at least) central passage plan dwelling by the mid-19th century.

There’s also a cluster of outbuildings that look very interesting!

Fleming County was surveyed fairly intensively in 1978, but it doesn’t appear that this dwelling was included in that effort. Not surprising – in my own county, also surveyed in that same time period, the decision was made to not document any rural properties built after 1900.

The house is located on the west side of Route 11 as you head north, between Concord and Tilton, and just north of Planck Road. I’ve not geo-referenced the historic atlas to a topographical map, but by eyeballing the 1884 Atlas  – I think it might be the residence of William S. Wilson.

Beyond these guesses, as I hurry to finish typing  – the baby is still screaming – I know nothing! But my hope is that someone out there will recognize this house and provide some background information on its history. The rain is still falling steadily, and houses like this one – without someone to patch up the holes and close the windows – aren’t long for this world.

 

• I later learned that this house was owned for many years by the Overley family. Isaac Logan Overley (1841-1930) bought the property in the late 19th century and his heirs sold the farm in 1935 to D.D. Porter and his wife. I don’t know who sold the house to Overley, but that may have been the original owner/builder.