From Preservation Online, the online magazine of the National Trust for Historic Preservation

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Utah Cabins Relocated to Make Way for Subdivision


Story by Stephanie Smith / Jan. 30, 2006

Like the settlers who built them, two pioneer-era log cabins in American Fork, Utah, have endured a lot to get where they are. To make way for a new housing development, the 12-by-15 foot cabins were moved to a city park last week.

Scottish immigrant Alexander Adamson built the first cabin in 1867 as a temporary home for his family. Robert Hall, Adamson's great-grandson, had been talking with their owners for several years about donating the cabins to the city. Having watched Spanish Fork lose other historic structures in recent years, Hall felt that saving the cabins was important for the city.

"You lose your identity when you tear this stuff down," says Hall, who remembers visiting the cabins as a child. "It wouldn't have mattered if it was my grandparents' or not; I would want to see it preserved. It's the least we can do for those that sacrificed so much to be here—to try and save what they built."

The situation became critical last year, when the property was sold to a developer with plans for a subdivision. With the help of Juel Belmont, president of the local historic preservation commission, Hall approached city officials with the idea to move the cabins. The city not only agreed to accept the cabins as a donation from the developer but also came up with the $10,000 for the move.

The cabins were moved over two days, with crews working in eight inches of snow on the second day to complete the job. The cabins now sit on a cement foundation, and though they need some restoration, they are in good condition.

"Everything came together perfectly," says Belmont, who expects that some of the restoration work will be done by volunteers, some of whom are also Adamson's descendents. "People are pretty excited to see things like this."

The Adamson family lived in that cabin until a larger permanent home was built. That house was demolished several years ago.

The cabins, previously used for storage, will become an interpretive site in their new location.

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