Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
Have you ever walked through a 1,900-year-old house? Ever stood inside a redwood log?
You can do both this year at the 1999 Kosciusko County 4-H and Community Fair.
"Allen's Original World Famous Log House," made from a portion of a single log cut from a redwood tree, is on display at the county fair this year. Interested fairgoers may walk through the "home" for a free-will donation to the Boys and Girls Club.
Built in the mid-1930s by Jim Allen, the house is owned by Jamie Allen, great-granddaughter of the man who made the home.
The 33-foot log is one of four cut from the same tree, which was 267 feet high. The house is 8 feet wide and 9 feet 4 inches in height at the larger end. The walls are 6 to 8 inches thick, not including bark.
Jim Allen, a logger, lived in the house for seven years. Jamie Allen, who with her husband, Dale, tours with the house from Memorial Day to Labor Day each year, said it took workers more than four months to hollow out the log.
The Allens, who make their living from a fudge business in California, spend 45 minutes each night using two cans of wax to polish the varnished walls and ceilings after the day-long tours.
They came to the Kosciusko County fair from the Cutz-Pennsylvania Dutch Folk Festival, and will take the display next to South Bend and the Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia state fairs.
