Thistle
Hollow cabin is located
in Grant County, West Virginia, about 35 miles south of Cumberland,
Maryland, and 150 to 165 miles from Washington and Baltimore.
The cabin sits high atop Walker's Ridge, about 500 feet above
New Creek Valley but 1,000 feet below the flanking mountains.
Across the hollow, the view from the cabin extends nearly
30 miles down the valley.
The
cabin's logs are well over 100 years old. It was originally
a school, located a dozen miles away. The logs were moved
to the present site in the early 1970's, and the cabin was
finished by local carpenters who restored the cabin of Nancy
Hanks (Lincoln's mother). We have kept the cabin rustic. It
has no electricity or running water. We find that this is
conducive to a slower, more relaxed, and more sociable pace
of life.
Thistle Hollow is an old hill farm, whose steep
slopes were once plowed by mule for crops. There are some
remains of the old farm. The ruins of a smokehouse are still
visible; tree rows mark the edges of some fields; terraces,
which were cut in the hillside to accommodate split rail fences,
can be seen; occasional split rails still survive; and some
apple and pear trees still bear fruit. Cattle graze in the
pasture during the part of the year (roughly June through
October) when grass and water are adequate.
Thistle
Hollow cabin is located
in Grant County, West Virginia, about 35 miles south of Cumberland,
Maryland, and 150 to 165 miles from Washington and Baltimore.
The cabin sits high atop Walker's Ridge, about 500 feet above
New Creek Valley but 1,000 feet below the flanking mountains.
Across the hollow, the view from the cabin extends nearly
30 miles down the valley.
Thistle Hollow is an old hill farm, whose steep
slopes were once plowed by mule for crops. There are some
remains of the old farm. The ruins of a smokehouse are still
visible; tree rows mark the edges of some fields; terraces,
which were cut in the hillside to accommodate split rail fences,
can be seen; occasional split rails still survive; and some
apple and pear trees still bear fruit. Cattle graze in the
pasture during the part of the year (roughly June through
October) when grass and water are adequate.
