Archive: Around Town

Despite setbacks Lansing officials still plan to bring the oldest known building in Tompkins and Cayuga Counties home to Lansing, where it was originally built in 1749.  At one time the two counties were combined, so when  the cabin was discovered in 1958 the Cayuga Museum in Auburn wanted it.  Later that year the cabin was disassembled and moved to Auburn.  Now the museum wants to dispose of the cabin, and Lansing officials hope to bring it home to make it part of a future Lansing Historical Trail.

A couple of months ago the museum e-mailed Town officials, giving them until January 1 to remove the cabin, or the museum would do it themselves.  The holdup in doing that comes down to money.  Town Officials want the cabin, but not at taxpayer expense.  "We looked at it a couple of years ago and the costs were pretty high," says Town Councilman and Deputy Supervisor Bud Shattuck.  "DOT approval and the things we needed to get done prohibited us from doing it right away."

The cabin was originally built by the North family, members of which later migrated to Michigan where they suggested the name of their home town for the capital city there.  It is an 18' x 24' building, made of thick logs in remarkably good shape.  In 1839 the Norths sold the cabin to Hiram Moe, and it was moved to a location on Conlon Road in 1844.  Walter Searles bought the farm it was located on from Hiram's son Erastus Moe in 1853.  Eventually it was incorporated into a more modern home, and the cabin was discovered by accident in 1958 when some pine siding was removed for repairs.  It has been in Auburn for the past 48 years.  Originally used for historical displays, the museum has used it as a storage shed in recent years.


Attempting to find a community group to raise funds and maintain the building, officials approached the Lansing Historical Association, but were told the group was not interested in taking on the cabin project because they don't have the manpower to effectively handle it.  So Shattuck spearheaded an informal community committee to try to preserve what is one of the oldest pieces of Lansing history.  Chris Muka, who is participating on the committee, offered to donate land on Salmon Creek Road to locate the cabin, with room for a small parking lot and historical marker. 

Over the past several months Shattuck has explored grant possibilities.  Last March he was told that the project could qualify for more money, but only if it is located on its original spot.  So while the cabin has a potential location, there might not be enough money to move and maintain it there.

That caused further delays, because the original location is not known.  In 1844 the cabin was moved to 578 Conlon Road, where it was discovered in 1958.  Chris Muka, who is participating on the committee, conducted extensive research that suggests it was built somewhere between Conlon and Salmon Creek Roads.  The group knows which Revolutionary War land grant plot it was on, but not the specific location.  But with time running out, the issue has become saving the cabin.

Muka has renewed his offer of land, and also offered to store the cabin if it is disassembled and moved here.  Shattuck says he has been told Muka would either store it in an existing building or build one to store the cabin.  The roof is not original to the building, and it leaks.  The intention has been to move the original walls, and build a new roof after it is moved.  By disassembling the walls the building will take less road space than moving it in one piece would.  And it would be easier to store until a community effort can be raised to restore the building to be put on display for the public.

Shattuck called the museum yesterday for some extra time to do just that.  "They were more than gracious," he says.  "I have emailed them and confirmed that in writing.  They also said they got a call from our local BOCES saying their building group might be interested in helping.  I'll call them up and see what we need to do and who we need to talk to."

He says the Town could move the cabin off the museum property by April 15.  "We're hoping to utilize our own highway crew," he says.  "That will be after the snow season."  Town board members met with Highway Superintendent Jack French and Assistant Superintendent Charlie Purcell, who will go to Auburn between now and March to look at the structure and come up with a plan for disassembling and tagging it for transport and eventual restoration.

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