C. A. Nothnagle Log House, also known as Braman-Nothnagle Log House, is a historic house on Swedesboro-Paulsboro Road in the Gibbstown section of Greenwich Township,

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

. It is one of the oldest surviving

log house A log house, or log building, is a structure built with horizontal logs interlocked at the corners by notching. Logs may be round, squared or hewn to other shapes, either handcrafted or milled. The term " log cabin" generally refers to a sm ...

s in the United States.OLDEST - Log House in North America - Superlatives on Waymarking.com
/ref> The oldest part of the house was built sometime between 1638 and 1643 by

Finnish Finnish may refer to: * Something or someone from, or related to Finland * Culture of Finland * Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland * Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people * Finnish cuisine See also ...

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

settlers in the

New Sweden New Sweden ( sv, Nya Sverige) was a Swedish colony along the lower reaches of the Delaware River in what is now the United States from 1638 to 1655, established during the Thirty Years' War when Sweden was a great military power. New Sweden f ...

colony, and Nordic ironware from the 1590s is still extant around the fireplace. The fireplace, probably built of bricks brought over to North America as ship's

ballast Ballast is material that is used to provide stability to a vehicle or structure. Ballast, other than cargo, may be placed in a vehicle, often a ship or the gondola of a balloon or airship, to provide stability. A compartment within a boat, ship ...

, is asymmetric and placed in a corner of the cabin. The original cabin measures 16 by 22 feet, which indicates that the builders were relatively well off; an average sized dwelling of the period was 12 by 12 feet. It is built of

oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

logs, and two logs were removable to provide ventilation in the summer. The logs were double dovetailed to provide a close fit, and gravel was pounded between the chinks in the logs. No nails were used in the original construction; hardwood pegs were used as fasteners. There is no ridgepole in the roof. People lived in this part of the house until 1918. A large addition to the original cabin was constructed in the early 18th century. A wooden floor was built over the original dirt floor around 1730. The house was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 1976 and is still privately owned. The cabin is opened for tours by appointment through the current owner, Doris Rink, who resides in the adjoining structure.Karen Demasters, ON THE MAP; This Old House Is Really Old, April 23, 2000 https://www.nytimes.com/2000/04/23/nyregion/on-the-map-this-old-house-is-really-old.html

References

External links

Nothnagle Log Cabin
Nothnagle 2 parts

{{NRHP in Gloucester County, New Jersey Greenwich Township, Gloucester County, New Jersey Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in New Jersey Houses in Gloucester County, New Jersey Log cabins in the United States National Register of Historic Places in Gloucester County, New Jersey New Jersey Register of Historic Places Log buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in New Jersey 1685 establishments in New Jersey Houses completed in 1685 Swedish migration to North America Swedish-American history Finnish-American history Swedish American culture in New Jersey Finnish-American culture in New Jersey New Sweden