The Yeisley/Pearce Log Cabin-CIRA 1795

THE YEISLEY/PEARCE LOG CABIN- CIRCA 1795- RELOCATION AND RESTORATION

In 1938, Smithfield Township resident and local historian, Luther S.
Hoffman, expressed that "we should hold our ancestors in
veneration and be profoundly thankful for the heritage they have passed on to us, and should prove ourselves their worthy
descendants•. So ends the foreword to his book entitled "The Unwritten History of Smithfield Township". Mr. Hoffman's book was
based on the records and traditions which came to him from his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather who settled in the
township in 1790.
Following is an excerpt from the Hoffman book regarding the Yeisl.y/Pearce log cabin:
"The oldest log house still standing in the township was built !n 1795 by George A. Yeisley. He, with his family and small
outfit of cooking utensils, fumlture and tools, came up from n.ar Easton, Pa. They came by way of Wind Gap, made their
way over trails and through thick forests and settled along M~· halls Creek. The log house he built is 32 feet long, 24 feet
wide, and one and one-half stories high. The first story is divi 8d Into two rooms-kitchen and living room. The. kitchen is
12 feet by 24 feet and has a large fireplace and two windows. 'he living room Is 20 feet by 24 feet with three windows. The
second floor Is one large room with the rafters and shingles rming the ceiling. In this house he reared his family of seven
children. When his oldest son, Peter, was man1ed George Ye . ley retired from farming and built himself a stone house a
little way up the creek. Peter and his wife began farming and at the same time children were bom to them until sixteen boys
and girls were crowded Into that small house. Then there waS! a break made by building a frame addition 16 feet by 24 feet
This made an extra room on both the first and second floors".·
'f
In 2004, issues concerning the Marshalls Creek Bypass project required that the Yeisley/Pearce Log Cabin be relocated or
demolished. Sam, Nancy, and Linda Dailey (Pearce family descendants and owners) donated the cabin to Smithfield Township and
on July 30, 2004 it was moved to its new home at the Township's "Waterfront Park".
The funds needed for the move were donated by Township businesses and residents. The entire restoration of the original log cabin
including the building foundation; the hand sawn roof and floor joists and floor planks; the roofing material; the stone masonry; was
accomplished through donations of labor, equipment, and materiaiJ and grants through PADCED. The original fireplace and chimney
survived the move intact and required little repair and re-pointing. the original door with its hardware was well protected and
preserved and is still operational.

Please contact the Smithfield Township Municipal Center (1155 RJd Fox Road, East Stroudsburg, PA, 18301) if you would like to
visit the Yeisley/Pearce Log Cabin. Our phone number is 570-223-5082 or you can cont~ct us via email at
smithfieldsec@lverizon.net. :