Date of Graduation
5-2026
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Architecture
Degree Level
Undergraduate
Department
Architecture
Advisor/Mentor
Sexton, Kim
Committee Member
Herman, Greg
Second Committee Member
Phillips, Jared
Abstract
This capstone examines the evolution of the log cabin from 1840 to 1980. At its core, the project questions the legacy of the log cabin from its origins as simply being a traditional dwelling typology to its establishment as a cultural icon or rather, an enduring vessel that established the American Dream and ideals of self-reliance, freedom, and individualism deep within the heart of American culture.
Chapter One situates the log cabin historically and architecturally, defining the popular frontier dwelling as being a single-pen horizontal log constructed cabin. It then explores the cabin’s emergence as a cultural image through political propaganda, focusing on the 1840 presidential election, Abraham Lincoln’s log cabin birthplace, and the lasting “humble beginnings” narrative.
Chapter Two features a case study of Lincoln Logs, a toy introduced in 1916, to analyze how log cabin imagery was used to shape American childhood. By studying advertisements from 1922 to 1935, this chapter reveals how a log cabin toy reinforced traditional gender roles, national values, and historical narratives—embedding these ideologies within American youth through play.
Chapter Three examines how literature and television sustained and exaggerated the log cabin myth, using Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House series as a central case study. Focusing on Wilder’s early novels and their television adaptation, the chapter considers how the log cabin was not only portrayed with emotional and symbolic weight but also exported internationally—most notably to post–World War II Japan—as a representation of American democracy and history.
In conclusion, each chapter works to prove that, yes, the log cabin, through various medias, has established itself and fundamental American myths in the nostalgic folder of the American brain.
Keywords
Log Cabin; Lincoln Logs; Little House on the Prairie; Laura Ingalls Wilder; Individualism; Abraham Lincoln; American Myth; Frontier; Nostalgia
Citation
Regan, A. M. (2026). The Log Cabin | Public Perception and Mediated Reality (1840 – 1980). Architecture Undergraduate Honors Theses Retrieved from https://scholarworks.uark.edu/archuht/81
Included in
American Art and Architecture Commons, American Literature Commons, American Material Culture Commons, American Popular Culture Commons, Architectural History and Criticism Commons, Children's and Young Adult Literature Commons, United States History Commons
