Actors will portray President Abraham Lincoln and his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, at the Sodus log cabin to help celebrate the 25th anniversary of Log Cabin Day Sunday, June 26.
This year is also the beginning of the official 150th anniversary of the Michigan Civil War Sesquicentennial.
Visitors are invited to bring any Civil War mementos they may have to add to a display of the Rock Edwards Civil War collection found in his farmhouse, built in 1860.
To get to the Sodus log cabin at 4286 Watson Road, built for Virginia Handy, go to the Sodus Parkway, then go north on Rock Edwards Drive, turn right on Watson Road and go one mile east.
The open house is scheduled to run from 1 until 5 p.m.
Some of the other Civil War Log Cabin Day events are in the eastern end of the state, including Richmond, Waterloo, Waterford Township and Wales Township.
This year there has also been a good response from people in the Upper Peninsula who encourage visitors.
The Iron County Museum, with 26 buildings that are mostly made from logs, is the biggest outdoor museum in the Upper Peninsula.
They have featured a Scandinavian Day each year that coincides with Log Cabin Day.
Other local log cabins that can be viewed, some with festivities, can be found at the Cassopolis Pioneer Log Cabin, the Van Buren Poorhouse Museum at Hartford, the Michigan Flywheelers Museum near South Haven, the Murdoch Log House at Berrien Springs and others nearby. According to Log Home Living, National Log Cabin Month is celebrated in July by many other states as well.
Log Home Living will be providing a special page in its July and August issues on “Happy Log Day, Michigan.”
The Log Cabin Day listing for June 26, complete with a map of more than 100 places to visit, can be found online at www.qtm.net/logcabincrafts.
For more information, call Virginia Handy at (269) 925-3836.