Carpenter Log House in Plum Continues to Create Memories for Past and Future Generations

The Carpenter Log House in Plum has been a historical site for more than 50 years, and it's been helping families create memories in those years.

On Saturday, the Allegheny Foothills Historical Society, which operates the Carpenter Log House located on Pierson Run Road in Boyce Park, hosted a harvest festival for local families.

Visitors made scarecrows, participated in arts and crafts, checked out artifacts inside the log house, and spent some time with Abraham Lincoln and Civil War re-enactors. 

Built in 1822, the original Carpenter Log House was located on property owned by Jerimiah Murry, the founder of Murrysville. The two-story log house was the residence of the Murry/Carpenter family for 136 years.

In 1958, the house and property were sold to Allegheny County to be included in Boyce Park. The log house was dismantled and rebuilt at Point State Park for Pittsburgh's bicentennial celebration in 1958.

The Allegheny Foothills Historical Society restored the house in 1979. The house was rebuilt on the original foundation with many of the original logs. Additional logs were bought from the Sloan Log House in Murrysville.

The house's furnishings are from the 1800s and early 1900s. It also includes some original items from the Carpenter family.

Jim Stewart of Plum lived in the house from 1944 until 1958. Stewart, who also is a member of the historical society, said the house was really different when he lived in it. It was a working dairy farm at the time, the current porch was a kitchen, there only was running water, and the furnace and cooking stove ran on coal.

"I remember the working horses, cows and chickens on the land," he said. "Corn fields and hay fields surrounded the property. It's not like it all was."

Since the log house was rebuilt, electricity and some block was added, and the historical society uses it to host several events.

Susan Broome's mother, Eleanor Carpenter-Broome, spearheaded the effort to rebuild the house and founded the historical society.

Carpenter-Broome was a history teacher at and she collected historical items.

When her mother died, Broome, also a Plum resident, donated some of her items to the historical society to display them inside the Carpenter Log House.

"We grew up with them, so we wanted to share them with the community," she said. "We also have a scholarship under her name for students in the district. I think she would have been most proud of that."

Stewart said it's neat the house still is in existence. His family members continue to come back for historical society events.

"It's nice to see it still here," he said.

For more information about the Allegheny Foothills Historical Society, visit www.plumhistory.org, call 412-832-0685 or email plumhistory@yahoo.com.