Preserved log cabin revealed in surprise discovery

16:01:20 27th January 2010

A log cabin dating back to 1865 has been discovered in the US - inside another house.

The historic cabin was uncovered by two locals in Illinois while tearing down the exterior of an old home to make way for new construction, the Southern newspaper reports.

Business partners Steve Shaffner and Brian Kennedy have since hired a local historian to learn more about the cabin's past, revealing it was originally built around 1865 by a Civil War soldier named Franklin Robinson, the news provider reports.

It was once part of a small settlement named Urbane, and is the only part of the village still standing.

Professional genealogist Juli Claussen, who was involved in researching the cabin's origin, told the Southern: "It's just so interesting to see what a cabin looked like in those days.

"With the fact that it's on top of the hill and the history of the property, I am sure that that is the Robinsons' cabin, built probably right after he returned from the Civil War," she added.