This tiny log cabin, typical of the homes built by the first American pioneers, is one of the few remaining log homes in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. These first cabins were key in establishing a foothold in their new world, raising families and working simple farms. This cabin was reconstructed using the same layout, eight of the original logs and all rafters. The idea was to retain all the original features of the Jacob Beam home, first built in 1782. The tract of land was surveyed in February, 1785 and finally deeded to Beam by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1798, under authority of the state's first governor, Thomas Mifflin.
     Aaron Work became the second owner of the property in the early 1800s. Work's descendants held the property until 1929, when it was acquired by the Jefferson Memorial Park. The original cabin was located only 12 feet away, under a large oak tree. It was said that a faithful spring came up from the oak trees roots, an essential part of a pioneer homestead. Jacob Beam log cabin 1782; Jefferson Memorial Park;