Cabin History

Below was copied and typed word for word from the

“History and Memories of Log Cabin."

May 28th, 1996 during Sunday school, the Senior Adult Class at Corinth Baptist Church decided there should be a history of the Log Cabin written. The job was passed to me and as I moved to the community a few years after the cabin was built the only thing I could do was find people who had worked on the cabin and get them to write their memories. I only found five still living and four have written the following accounts and Hazel Harris Bryant who lived in community at that time has written her memories. We hope this will be kept for future generations.

 Some of these have remembered some of the same things and people. We hope no one is left out – if so it is due to our minds not being as sharp as when we were young. Of the five people one is from Corinth (Odessa Carter Spinks) and by membership is our oldest member. One is still at Temple Methodist Church, Eunice Kennedy. Hazel Harris Bryant is also at Temple. Two who now live near Atlanta, Joe Crowley and Frances Crowley Green, wrote but their sister Wendell Crowley did not write but she worked on the Cabin.

Cabin

By: Joe Crowley

June 1996

In the beginning I remember Mr. N. T. Polk, Uncle Malvin Edwards, my daddy Joe Crowley, my mother Mozell Hansford Crowley, Mr. and Mrs. Bryant, their girls, Eula, Eunice, their sons Paul and Harold, Kennedy family and others from Corinth Baptist Church and Temple Methodist Church. I remember the fellowship between the two churches. In March 1935 on a bright cold sunshiny Saturday morning Paul Bryant and myself, Joe Crowley aged 15, got on our horses with our axes and cross cut saws and rode four miles to Mr. N.T. Polk’s farm near Barnett Shoals and the Georgia Power Dam.

There we found Mr. Polk, Uncle Malvin Edwards, John Lewis Elder, Dawson Elder with their axes and cross cut saws. We went to the woods on Mr. Polk’s property and before we started I remember Mr. Polk had a prayer. As I was the youngest one in the group, they gave me the honor of cutting down the first tree.

 Mr. Polk gave all the logs and Uncle Malvin drew the plans on one sheet of table paper. I think the cabin was forty feet wide and sixty feet long. Uncle Malvin was in charge of building the Log Cabin.

Dawson Elder and John Lewis Elder had a log truck and they hauled the logs to the cabin sight. It was cold weather. On Saturday all the men and boys would come and skin the logs and cut them into the right lengths. The young girls and ladies would fix dinner.

My black friend, Inias Mitchell and I would haul rocks off Miss Effie Aycock’s land behind Corinth church for the foundation and to build the chimney. We worked every Saturday until the cabin was finished in December and we had a big Christmas party for everyone.

The total cost of the cabin was $60, that being beyond the donations of rocks, trees, trucks, labor and time. The whole community was involved, the two churches worked together in everything we did. I think this taught me how to be together in the Lord Christ.

Some of the Memories of the Log Cabin

Hazel “Harris” Bryant

The men in the community started talking about some place for the young people to meet and have a good time with no drinking, fighting or anything like that to be allowed. Mr. Polk said a big cabin would be nice as we had a lot of young people in the community and of course that brought in lots of other young people.

We had dances and parties at people’s houses but there was no way to keep some from drinking and that led to fighting. At first they thought about putting the cabin between the two churches, Mr. Polk said there was some room behind Corinth church and if it was on church grounds it could be controlled better. So everyone agreed to do this because everyone went either to Temple or Corinth church. If you didn’t see them baptized you didn’t know which church they were members of. Mr. Polk even preached at Temple at the time he was preaching.

Mr. Polk said he would give the trees, and Mr. Malvin Edward was a carpenter so he said he would work as well as oversee the building of the cabin.

The cabin was built in 1935. Mr. Polk let Joe Crowley cut the first tree because he was the youngest boy in the bunch. They used John Lewis and Dawson Elder’s truck and they drove it to haul logs to the place where they were going to build.

They had at least one work Saturday, maybe more, that they skinned the logs. The women in the community took food to the men so they could work all day.

They all worked together until they got the cabin built. Paul Bryant, John Lewis Elder, Dawson Elder, Spurgeon Williams, Mr. Malvin Edwards and Mr. N.T. Polk are the ones that I know for sure worked on the building but there must have been others.

We all enjoyed going to the cabin every Saturday night. If you had a date to go to the movies or somewhere, we went early and hurried back because we didn’t want to miss going to the cabin.

The older people fixed good food and we all enjoyed it.  We put on plays, had singings and we were allowed to do dancing like the Virginia Reel. We had cake walks and something Mr. Polk called “Drill”. We had different colored paper dresses but I can’t remember what the boys wore. We marched to piano music in all kinds of ways lie they do on ball fields. It was pretty with the different colors. We had talent shows; there was a lot of talent around. Of course this fun brought in boys and girls from Clarke, Oconee and Oglethorpe Counties, so there was always a big crowd. Boys and girls from other places came to church at Corinth and Temple whether they were members or not because they had become friends with the boys and girls in our community. Everyone met at the mill pond on Sundays after church and just had good clean fun.

We always cleaned up after ourselves; all trash was put in trash cans and carried home to be disposed of. We were taught to take care of things like the cabin, grounds and the mill pond area. We were taught to respect other people’s property, we never thought of destroying anything. I have so many fond memories of the cabin and the people that came there that I can’t write them all.

I will say that Mr. Will Cunningham lived behind the cabin and he would cook rabbit stew after the men went hunting. He would also add chicken to the stew from chicken people in the community had given. He also cooked bar-be-que and hash. Others helped him with the cooking.

The Log Cabin

Complied By: Hattie Moore McClain

In the mid 30’s the depression was in full swing and the people around Temple Methodist and Corinth Baptist had little resources except themselves. These resources were put together to make their community a good safe place to raise their children.

The idea of a community building started with Mr. N.T Polk talking with church leaders and parents of the many youth in the community at that time.  Mr. Polk said that he would give all the logs to build a cabin. Mr. Malvin Edwards said he would draw up the plans and oversee the building. Mr. Edwards was a carpenter. Mr. and Mrs. Polk with Eunice Kennedy went through the community asking for donations to help build the cabin.  The cabin was to be 60 feet long and 40 feet wide. Before work started on the cabin that cold Saturday morning in 1935 on Mr. N. T. Polk’s farm (to get the logs cut), he led the group in prayer.

Work day was every Saturday from then until the cabin was finished in December. With some working during the week when they could find time. When the cabin was finished, there was a big Christmas party for the whole community.

There was something going on at the cabin every Saturday night for the youth with chaperons. Since that time the cabin has been a place for gathering, eating and just a good time of fellowship.

 In the 50’s a new roof was put on and the youth of both churches put cement between the logs and with A.C. Eidson building a table, to serve from and a cabinet for a sink. About this time Temple built them-selves a fellowship hall, as a lock was put on the cabin door and it was hard to run down a key when it was needed. They shared their hall with various groups.

In the 70’s, tables were donated to the cabin by Mr. and Mrs. Leroy Barrett. A few of the women bought 20 chairs for the older people to have a seat. Warren and Jeanette Chandler bought more chairs.

In the 80’s Ricky Shelton got insulation donated by the Certain-Teed Corp and the ceiling was installed. A year later Coile Miller, along with George Payne and Leslie McClain, installed cabinets and new fan lights. Money was donated by church members to buy materials needed. A stove was donated by Jack and Florence Sims. A microwave was given by the Tom Gardeners. A hot water heater was donated. Faye Miller got a lot donated on this job. Later, air conditions were installed. The cabin is a very comfortable place for parties, dinners, showers, and receptions.

I forgot to put in that in the 50’s electricity was run through the community and to the church and cabin. A well was dug and water run to the cabin. Later, a hot water was put in and that added a job for the men. Water had to be cut off in very cold weather to keep water from freezing.

In this I have named a few people and in the memories of others you will find more names of people who we owe a debt for our cabin. These people came from both, Temple Methodist and Corinth Baptist as well as the community. We know it was the foresight of Mr. N.T. Polk who cared about the youth and the concern of the parents like the Crowleys, the Kennedys, the Bryants, the Elders, Mr. and Mrs. Felton Spinks and Mr. Tom Jackson that we have a wonderful fellowship hall.

A lot of people who have contributed to the cabin are not listed for fear of leaving out more than we could name. Only people known for sure are listed. We know this cabin was dedicated to God, for Mr. Polk always had a prayer before starting anything.

 Memories of Frances Crowley Green

I remember skinning logs for the cabin. We used a flattened hoe by pushing it very hard under the bark and off it came.  After several hours of skinning, Uncle Malvin Edwards served us cheese, crackers and ice tea. The cheese was hoop cheese from Godfrey’s store. After the floor was put down, we danced the Virginia reel while Mr. Tom Jackson played the violin.

 Log Cabin

By: Eunice Bryant Kennedy

The cabin was started in 1937. Mr. N.T. Polk and Felton Spinks gave the logs. Mr. Polk and Malvin Edwards were in charge of getting it built. Dawson Elder had the truck that was used to haul the logs and other supplies.

Some others who helped were John Lewis Elder, Harold Bryant, Paul Bryant, Jennings Polk, Spurgeon Williams, Swayne Wilson, Harold Aycocok, Hugh Dorsey Aycock, Joe Crowley, Frances Crowley, Eunice Bryant Kennedy, Mrs. Polk, Sarah Tribble Aycock, and I’m sure there were others.

John Bryant, Eunice’s father, and Walt Jackson made the shingles for the cabin. Mr. and Mrs. Polk and Eunice Kennedy went around the community and asked for donations.

To celebrate the completions of the cabin the community had a party. The men killed rabbits for stew and the women brought salads, pies, tea etc. Completion date was late 1938 or early 1939.

  Oconee County Recipes and Reminiscences

Submitted by Louise Jones

 Written from notes from History of Corinth Church by Mrs. Courtney Elder and from reminiscences of Mrs. N.T. Polk.

One rather unusual feature in this church is its large log cabin, located on the church grounds. It was built in the 1930’s by some young people who wanted a place to meet socially. Trees were donated and the boys and men felled them and cut them into proper lengths. The girls and the women skinned the bark from the logs using straight and goose necked hoes. Mr. Bryant put on the roof and Mr. Tom Jackson built the fire place. The ladies dyed fertilizer sacks to be used as large curtains across the stage where the young people would give plays. On Thanksgiving Day 1938 the whole community gathered in the log cabin for rabbit stew. This custom has continued annual until today (with some change to the menu).

Log Cabin

By: Odessa Carter Spinks

Cabin was built for a community house. It was started in 1935 with Malvin Edwards, Tom Jackson and Mr. N.T. Polk laying out the plans. Carpenters were Malvin Edwards, Al Godfrey, Ernest Lee Veal, Howard Veal and others.

Odessa remembers skinning logs with Mozelle Crowley and the Crowley girls. Others helped but can’t remember all.

Mr. Tom Jackson built the chimney.

Felton Spinks and Dawson Elder hauled the logs. Felton had a saw mill on their place so they had a big truck. They also hauled rock for the chimney. Everybody brought lunch and at lunch would sit around eating and talking. It was a good time.

Goose necked hoes were straightened to use to skin the bark off the logs.

Mr. Tolbert may have helped work on the cabin but I am not sure as I can’t remember everyone.