Lower Swedish Cabin
Lower Swedish Cabin is an historic Swedish-style log cabin on Creek Road in the Drexel Hill section of Upper Darby, Pennsylvania along Darby Creek. The cabin may be one of the oldest log cabins in the United States.
Lower Swedish Cabin | |
Lower Swedish Cabin, November 2009 | |
Location | Drexel Hill, Upper Darby, Pennsylvania |
---|---|
Coordinates | 39°56′17.78″N 75°18′04.75″W |
Area | 1.7 acres (0.69 ha) |
Architectural style | Swedish Plan |
NRHP reference No. | 80003484[1] |
Significant dates | |
Added to NRHP | June 9, 1980 |
Designated PHMC | October 21, 1989[2] |
History
It was likely built sometime between 1640 and 1650 by Swedish immigrants who were part of the New Sweden colony.[3] Although claims have been made that in the early 1900s, film pioneer Siegmund Lubin filmed several movies at the site, recent scholarship does not support this assertion.[4] The house served as a private residence until 1937, when it was recorded by the Historic American Buildings Survey and the Cabin became the property of the township of Upper Darby.[5] After neglect and vandalism throughout the mid-1900s the house was restored in 1987.
The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.[1]
See also
References
- "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
- "PHMC Historical Markers". Historical Marker Database. Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission. Archived from the original on December 7, 2013. Retrieved December 20, 2013.
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on November 7, 2012. Retrieved June 16, 2013.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- Eckhardt, Joseph P. (1997-01-01). The King of the Movies: Film Pioneer Siegmund Lubin. Fairleigh Dickinson Univ Press. ISBN 9780838637289.
- "National Historic Landmarks & National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania" (Searchable database). CRGIS: Cultural Resources Geographic Information System. Note: This includes David C. Stacks (October 1974). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Lower Swedish Cabin" (PDF). Retrieved 2012-01-06.
External links
- Friends of the Swedish Cabin
- Built circa 1638 - Lower Swedish Cabin - Drexel Hill, PA on YouTube
- Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) No. PA-135, "Lower Swedish Log Cabin, Darby Creek vicinity (Clifton Heights), Darby, Delaware County, PA", 4 photos, 8 measured drawings, 2 data pages, 1 photo caption page, supplemental material
- HABS No. PA-136, "Upper Swedish Log Cabin, Darby Creek vicinity, Clifton Heights (Upper Darby Township), Darby, Delaware County, PA", 5 photos, 4 measured drawings, 1 data page, 1 photo caption page - survey from 1937 of a nearby log cabin of similar date and construction, since demolished