ASHLAND — A 200-year-old log cabin stands on the land of the Ashland County Wildlife Conservation League, and a volunteer-run project is seeking funding to make sure it’s preserved in its original state for future generations.
Scarlett Raines, who works as a librarian for Hillsdale Local Schools, has headed up the league’s preservation committee. She said about two years ago, three members of the league set their minds on preserving the cabin.
Bringing history to life
A group of volunteers came together to begin the work of preserving the home, logging hours across the summer.
“We traveled 200 years back instead of going somewhere this summer, ‘cause we lived here,” Raines said.
Mark Barnhill, another volunteer, told an audience of about 20 people Thursday that the house held historical significance. He explained it’s unusual to find a log cabin of this size in Ohio, particularly with such an intact structure.
The group hopes that the cabin’s restoration will offer community members — especially students — an opportunity to engage with Ashland’s history, according to president Carmen Armstrong.
But the house needs electricity, according to Raines, which is the reason the league is seeking grant funding for the project.
At an event Thursday evening, the league explained why they aimed to preserve the cabin. It’s also asking for sponsorships to match a community grant for $7,500 the project received from the Ashland County Community Foundation.
Two sponsors already stepped up to give donations for the project. Andy ad Christopher McClure offered $1,000, and Bob DeSanto gave another $500 on behalf of his law firm, DeSanto & Kellogg.
“Think about you going into the woods, cutting wood like this, bringing it back and making a house — tremendous,” DeSanto said. “They had to deal with wolves. I think they even had to deal with mountain lions.”
He added the cabin will offer a chance to bring local history to the forefront.
Finding funds
The group will continue to accept sponsorships and donations to help with the project’s completion.
Business sponsorships have four tiers:
- American Chestnut Sponsorship: $1,000 donation
- Walnut Sponsorship: $500 donation
- Cherry Sponsorship: $250 donation
- White Oak Sponsorship: $100 donation
Individuals can donate any amount of money. The league also has opportunities for individuals and families to engage with the project at the sponsorship level:
- American Chestnut Sponsorship: $500 donation
- Walnut Sponsorship: $250 donation
- Cherry Sponsorship: $100 donation
- White Oak Sponsorship: $50 donation
Donations can be placed by writing a check to ACWCL and mailing it into the group’s address: 1930 County Road 1035.
Raines said the group is not capping the amount they’re asking for, nor do they have a deadline for completing the preservation efforts. Since it’s volunteer-run, a group of people work on the home as they have the time.