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Weston House History
The Original Log Cabin - was on a land grant signed by President Jackson in 1830.
Built of native hand-hewn, American chestnut in the 1832-1833 time period, the original cabin
was 24’ X 20’, and 2 rooms, one downstairs and a loft bedroom upstairs. We believe that the
Baughman family of Bladensburg built the original cabin. Some time around 1948 Mr. Hess, who
became one of Knox County’s auditors, purchased the cabin. It is believed he held political
parties at the cabin, and possibly had the cabin on a Heart of Ohio tour in the early 1970’s.
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Westons Purchase Land & Cabin - Robert & Lynda Weston of Knox County bought the
cabin on 55 acres from Mr. Hess in 1979. Below is a picture of the cabin when they bought it.
The house consisted of the original log structure, plus a framed addition out the back that
was much like an enclosed workshop area.
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A picture of Rob & Lynda Weston with their two children in 1979 right after they purchased the house.
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Westons begin Restoration and Christen the Home the "Never Done Inn" - After their purchase
in 1979, the Westons began a labor of love restoring the cabin. Over the next 28 years the
Westons changed the cabin from a small, rustic, deteriorated cabin, to what it is today.
Restoration included removing the whitewash from the logs, removing drywall from the interior
of the cabin, re-building a fantastic fireplace reminiscent of what would have been in the
cabin originally. They also added the potting shed off the kitchen, using it for growing
plants and later housing their oak hot tub, the dormer window above the living area and of
course the new log addition and garage. Late May of 1985, they finished the addition of the
front porch. (See the figure below.)
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The "Never Done Inn" sign, and a good picture of the porch that the Westons added.
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Visitors Spend Time at the Cabin and Farm - The cabin became quite a gathering place for
the Westons throughout the years, a place for Gourmet Cooking Club parties, family gatherings
and a pleasant hide-away from the hustle and bustle of the rest of their world. Their son even
held his wedding on the site, the ceremony in the back yard, guests staying in the cabin.
Lynda described the wedding of their son, a momentous event, "12 Sept 1998: The day was bright and beautiful.
The new roof and dormer window had just been completed. Straw bales, covered with quilts were
used for seating. Amazingly in one bathroom, we took turns and all were ready by 1:00.
We all greeted folks as they parked in the nicely mowed back field, walking by the pumpkin and
gourd patch to sign-in at the guest table. Vows were said, a music piece was played and rings
exchanged. At the end of the ceremony the guests released their butterflies as the bride and
groom watched. It was quite a beautiful event. The sky was clear and the sun shone down.
Around 9:00 we lit the woodpile for a spectacular bonfire under the stars. The close of a
very wonderful day."
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The Westons Add the Stone Mill Log Home Addition - Talks of an addition to the cabin
began in 1990. The expansion of the house into what you see today, began with the addition of
the “Barn/Garage”, a large pole barn type structure, with 2 x 12 boards, stood on edge as
siding, and chinked in between to match the old log cabin, and intended new log addition.
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In June of 2001, the Westons ordered their new addition from Stone Mill Log Homes. July found
them moving from their Mount Vernon residence to the farm, and then they began making
preparations for the construction. The basement was poured in September of 2001, and logs
arrived on 23 Oct. 2001.
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The Stone Mill Log Homes crew assembled the new log home and the kitchen cabinets were
installed, then the Westons continued working on the interior of the house, including
installing the piping and the cherry flooring. They did a nice job integrating the old and
the new, in spite of the lean in the walls of the old cabin. The old kitchen became the
utility room; the old cabin main room is now the living area, and the new addition houses 3
bedrooms, 2 baths, kitchen, dining and an enclosed hot tub porch. The kitchen is incredibly
gorgeous.
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The Stahl’s Purchase the Home & Go into the Farm Vacation Business - Frank & I
bought the house from Rob & Lynda Weston in January 2007. While the sleigh chandelier in
the master bedroom wasn’t left due to its history with the Weston family, very little else
besides furniture will be changed from when the Westons owned the home. We've named the
home in honor of the Westons and all of their hard work. We want to continue the spirit of
the gathering of friends at the house, and the appreciation for the country, farming life, and log homes.
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Please refer to our Photo Gallery to see additional pictures of the house as it is today.
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Nearby Attractions
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Amish Country
(Holmes County)
The Colonial City
(Mount Vernon)
Dennison University
and Granville
Indian Mounds
(Newark/Heath)
Zanesville Potteries
Kenyon College
(Gambier)
Roscoe Village
(Coshocton)
Covered Bridge
(Fallsburg)
National Rd. Museum
(Zanesville)
Longaberger Baskets
(Dresden/Frazeysburg)
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