Forensic Dendroarchaeology and the Strange Case of Abraham Lincoln’s Birthplace Log Cabin

1. Forensic Dendroarchaeology and the StrangeCase of Abraham Lincoln’s Birthplace Log Cabin Henri D. Grissino-MayerLaboratory of Tree-Ring ScienceDepartment of GeographyUniversity of TennesseeKnoxville, Tennessee 37996 and Dwight T. PitcaithleyChief HistorianNational Park Service1849 C Street NWWashington, D.C. 20240

2. What is Forensic Dendroarchaeology? Dendrochronology:Dating something using tree rings. Dendroarchaeology:Dating a crafted or assimilated object using tree rings to help infer past human behavior, activities, patterns, and lifeways. Forensic Dendroarchaeology:Verification or rejection of a generally-accepted date for a crafted object using tree rings to help establish authenticity and provenance.

3. Background to Forensic Dendroarchaeology Douglass, A.E. 1929. The secret of the Southwest solved by talkative tree rings. National Geographic Magazine 56(6): 736–770.

4. Swaggerty Blockhouse (1787)

5. Swaggerty Blockhouse (1787)

6. = Stephens Hog Barn (1860) 1860

7. = Messiah Violin (1716) Messiah Messiah Violin (1716)

8. Karr-Koussevitzky Double Bass (1611)

9. = 1761+ The Karr-Koussevitzky Bass dates from 1445 to 1761. Karr-Koussevitzky Double Bass (1611) Bass Reference r = 0.43, n = 317, t = 8.5,p < 0.0001

10. Rocky Mount Historic Site (1770–1772) • One of the earliest settlers • Earliest intact structure (1770) • Revolutionary War significance • Capital from 1790–1792 • Regional landmark (post office)

11. = 1827–1830 The Rocky Mount site was built from 1827 to 1830. Rocky Mount Historic Site (1770–1772) Rocky Mount Reference r = 0.46, n = 131, t = 5.9,p < 0.0001

12. Abraham Lincoln’s Birthplace Log Cabin (1809)

13. Abraham Lincoln’s Birthplace Log Cabin (1809)

14. Abraham Lincoln’s Birthplace Log Cabin (1809)

15. Abraham Lincoln’s Birthplace Log Cabin (1809) • Dendrochronological dating vs. Mammoth Cave • Round logs, hewn logs, sawn log ends • Counted rings at each end of log • Comparison with other log structures

16. Abraham Lincoln’s Birthplace Log Cabin (1809)

17. Abraham Lincoln’s Birthplace Log Cabin (1809) Lincoln’s Boyhood Home Lincoln’s Birthplace

18. Abraham Lincoln’s Birthplace Log Cabin (1809) Log Cabin Reference r = 0.55, n = 79, t = 5.8,p < 0.0001 Logs in the Lincoln cabin date to the 1840s and 1850s.

19. Abraham Lincoln’s Birthplace Log Cabin (1809) Lincoln Log CabinAverage number of rings per log:39 (range 20 to 65, n = 42) Lincoln Cabin at Knob CreekAverage number of rings per log:130 (range 85 to 161, n = 18) Rocky Mount, TennesseeAverage number of rings per log:95 (range 68 to 162, n = 25)

20. Abraham Lincoln’s Birthplace Log Cabin (1809) Lincoln Log Cabin 10 round logs, 32 hewn logs; 31 logs with sawn ends, 10 logs with unsawn ends Cabin had been “downsized.” Notches were found “hanging.” Notches were incorrectly fit. Some logs were turned. Extra chinking was required. Cabin was atypically higher. Logs at fireplace did not match. Chimney logs made from refuse.

21. Abraham Lincoln’s Birthplace Log Cabin (≠1809) • Lincoln Log Cabin • “The Lincoln cabin may have been less crude and of better quality than the cabins built by [Thomas Lincoln’s] neighbors.”– C.A. Weslager, The Log Cabin in America, Rutgers University Press • The Lincolns came from Pennsylvania where immigrant settlers were very knowledgeable about European-style log house construction. • Thomas Lincoln was a carpenter and skilled woodworker, who never would have made such a crudely constructed cabin.

22. Abraham Lincoln’s Birthplace Log Cabin (≠1809)

24. Acknowledgements Beth AtchleySaskia van de GevelAshley HeatonWhitney KocisEvan LarsonDaniel LewisDavid MannAlison MillerDana MillerDanica PrazaChris UnderwoodGeorgina Wight Abraham Lincoln’s Birthplace Historic SiteNational Park ServiceNational Science FoundationDr. Frank Tainter, Clemson University Rocky Mount Historical AssociationTennessee Historical CommissionThomas Jefferson’s Poplar ForestViolin Society of AmericaInternational Society of BassistsMuseum of Appalachia Ken Apschnikat, Heather Harvey, Taylor and Joanna Hay, Dustin Williams, Rusty Holloway, Madeleine Crouch,Ken Robinson, Carol Harden, Joe Regh, Helen Hayes, Frank Speckhart, Charlie Faulkner, Steve Rogers, Amy Steadman, Paul Sheppard, Malcolm Cleaveland, Dan MacDonald, Val Devault, Bill Landry, and many more!