(Harlan, Iowa) – Officials with the Shelby County Historical Museum, today (Wednesday), announced that preservation work has begun on the historic McIntosh and Leland log cabins. The preservation process will include removing the crumbling chinking, replacing logs, making dutchman repairs, stabilizing the structures, cobb blasting to clean the logs, repairing door and window frames, reapplying chinking between the logs, reframing and re-roofing both cabins, and finally, replacing any damaged interior chinking. The work is estimated to take approximately 8 weeks, weather permitting.

Sarah McDonald, Executive Director of the Shelby County Historical Museum, says “We are looking forward to documenting the preservation process and sharing updates with the community. The project has been in development for several years, so we are excited to take this step in preserving the McIntosh and Leland log cabins for future generations.”

Tours of the cabins are currently unavailable and will resume after the completion of the preservation work. Museum representatives kindly ask that those who wish to watch the preservation work do so from a safe distance behind the fencing.

Cabin preservation work underway. Shelby County Historical Museum photo (provided)

About the Shelby County Historical Museum:
The Shelby County Historical Museum was founded in 1964 by over 50 individuals who were passionate about preserving local history for future generations. The museum is home to two exhibit buildings and two historic log cabins built in Shelby County in 1856 and 1857. Each year, they welcome thousands of visitors who experience Shelby County history through free exhibits and programming.