19th-century log house discovered in Brownsville
Frances Borsodi Zajac|缅北禁地
Joe Bogumit, left, of Fredericktown, and Jerrod Stickovich, of Carmichaels, stand in front of an 1820s log house recently discovered in Brownsville. Stickovich owns Fitly Joined and Built-in, an historic restoration company,with his mother, Donna Stickovich, of Deemston. The company is dismantling the house and plans to sell it.
Frances Borsodi Zajac|缅北禁地
Joe Bogumit, left, of Fredericktown, and Jerrod Stickovich, of Carmichaels, stand in front of an 1820s log house recently discovered in Brownsville. Stickovich owns Fitly Joined and Built-in, an historic restoration company,with his mother, Donna Stickovich, of Deemston. The company is dismantling the house and plans to sell it.
Frances Borsodi Zajac|缅北禁地
Joe Bogumit, left, of Fredericktown, and Jerrod Stickovich, of Carmichaels, stand in front of an 1820s log house recently discovered in Brownsville. Stickovich owns Fitly Joined and Built-in, an historic restoration company,with his mother, Donna Stickovich, of Deemston. The company is dismantling the house and plans to sell it.
Frances Borsodi Zajac|缅北禁地
Jerrod Stickovich, of Carmichaels, shows off a six-inch nail found in this 1820s log house recently discovered in Brownsville. Stickovich owns Fitly Joined and Built-in, an historic restoration company,with his mother, Donna Stickovich, of Deemston. The company is dismantling the house and plans to sell it.
Frances Borsodi Zajac|缅北禁地
Jerrod Stickovich, of Carmichaels, holds an early 19th century nail found in an 1820s log house recently discovered in Brownsville. Stickovich owns Fitly Joined and Built-in, an historic restoration company,with his mother, Donna Stickovich, of Deemston. The company is dismantling the house and plans to sell it.
Frances Borsodi Zajac|缅北禁地
Here鈥檚 a close up of the building materials in the early 19th century log house, recently discovered in Brownsville.
Frances Borsodi Zajac|缅北禁地
A close-up of the building materials in the early 19th century log house, recently discovered in Brownsville.
Frances Borsodi Zajac|缅北禁地
Here鈥檚 a close up of the building materials in the early 19th century log house, recently discovered in Brownsville - notice the corn cobs.
The appearance of a log house on Brownsville鈥檚 High Street this summer started people talking.
The two-story structure had been been there since the early 19th century but became hidden when covered with siding.
鈥淲e went inside and could clearly see the logs 鈥� that it was an old log home,鈥� said Laura Williams, who purchased the property with her fianc茅, Steve Meyers, this spring. The couple had previously purchased the stone house next door and then acquired this second property.
鈥淥ur plan was to tear it down next year but when we walked in and saw the logs, we thought they were going to rot,鈥� said Laura.
The couple couldn鈥檛 use the log house but wanted to save it if possible.
鈥淲e prayed about it,鈥� said Laura, who noted the couple appreciates history and hoped the house or its materials could be used elsewhere.
They were having trouble finding someone who might help when Donna Stickovich, of Deemston, left a business card with a note on it.
The card was for the company Donna owns with her son, Jerrod Stickovich, called Fitly Joined and Built-In Inc. A reference to a biblical verse (Ephesians 2:21) that inspired the company name caught Laura鈥檚 attention. She called.
Fitly Joined is an historic restoration business that offers period log and stone work and historic building materials. Examples of their work are on the company鈥檚 Facebook page.
鈥淲e move log houses and rebuild them,鈥� said Jerrod, of Carmichaels.鈥漌e sell period architecture: fireplaces, mantles, cupboards 鈥� interesting pieces from between 1790 to 1860.鈥�
Donna and Jerrod found their way into the business when looking for a front door.
鈥淲e bought an 1830 brick house in Millsboro and it had a modern door,鈥� explained Donna, who noted, 鈥淲e added a log house from near Beth-Center High School onto the brick house and then the phone started ringing. We never set out to have a business but the phone kept ringing.鈥�
Donna started Fitly Joined 32 years ago with partner Roland Cadle. Jerrod began working for the company as a teenager. Donna said when Cadle moved, Jerrod became her partner.
鈥淲e鈥檝e worked all over the country,鈥� said Donna. 鈥淲e sent one house to northern California on a train. For a long time, we worked out of state: Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia, North Carolina. Then calls started coming for local work.鈥�
Donna said of log houses, 鈥淵ou can鈥檛 always find them but they鈥檙e around. Some are covered up. Some are torn down, but they鈥檙e around.鈥�
Laura and Steve struck a deal with the Stickoviches. The company would remove the log house at no charge. In return, the Stickoviches could keep the house, which they plan to sell.
Jerrod believes the four-room house was built in the 1820s, maybe earlier. It鈥檚 made of red oak and white oak logs, held together with material that included plaster, stones and a few corncobs.
Items found in the home included a glass marble, an old, six-inch nail and a hand-forged spike.
鈥淚 think they鈥檙e doing a fine job,鈥� said Laura. 鈥淭hey have a passion for historical buildings.鈥�
鈥淚 like saving history,鈥� said Jerrod. 鈥淎s you uncover the house, you learn more about it.鈥�
Donna said, 鈥淵ou always discover something new 鈥� mistakes or another way of doing something maybe better than the last guy.鈥�
Joe Bogumit of Fredericktown, who works with Jerrod, said, 鈥淚t鈥檚 like a time capsule. I like seeing how they built homes compared to now. You have a lot of respect for them.鈥�