A TREASURY OF EARLY FRANKLIN COUNTY HOMES
(An Introduction)
Franklin County was settled a little over one hundred and fifty years ago. The pioneers erected cabins built out of logs notched at the corners and chinked with daubing to. close the crevices. After living in the cabins for a few years the more prosperous began to think about more commodious and substantial houses in which to raise their families. These fine old homes are the real historical moments that tell much about the life of our pioneer ancestors.
Perhaps less than two hundred of these historic residences survive; but :hey still keep a personal and appealing record of the way the frontiersmen lived when our State was in its infancy. Here are the mellow' farmhouses and early village homes where Henry Clay, Daniel Webster, William Henry Harrison, John Quincy Adams, John Tyler, Martin Van Buren, and others visited; where men and women of courage and vision dreamed and worked to bring about the great commonwealth that is ours today.
The selecting and the photographing of these homes was accomplished only after careful research. The photographer in many instances has waited for the right light, the right time of day, and in most instances the right time of the year before the pictures were taken.
It is hoped the reader will gain not only an insight into how the early pioneers lived, but also a rich and fascinating picture of architecture practiced in the midwest, and especially in Franklin County, a century and more ago.
