Once the building on the Rudy tree farm had its siding removed, a historic and unique log cabin was revealed underneath. The buiding was disassembled Dec. 8 to be reused elsewhere as part of the cable TV program “Barnwood Builders.” (Laurie Jean Houck photos)

A historic cabin from Perry County, reclaimed to create a new building elsewhere, will finally get its time in the spotlight April 21 on the television show “Barnwood Builders.”

In December 2021, the niche construction company Antique Cabins & Barns traveled to Perry County to reclaim an 1800s Finnish cabin for use in building a new home in West Virginia. The company’s owner, Mark Bowe, is also host of “Barnwood Builders” on cable television’s home-oriented Magnolia Network.

According to the network’s online TV schedule, the episode featuring the Perry County cabin titled “If it Fits, it’s Finnish” will air at 9 p.m. on Thursday, April 21. The network’s channel number is different depending on the service. It can also be streamed online at Magnolia’s website and on Discovery+.

The episode will follow Bowe’s crew as they uncover the 200-year-old log cabin from its modern trappings, then disassemble it and prepare it for transportation to West Virginia for a new structure. It was filmed in 2021, including the Dec. 8 deconstruction and transport that was covered for the newspaper by photographer Laurie Jean Houck.

The cabin, formerly located on the Rudy tree farm on Narrows Road in Miller Twp., is unique for several reasons. Its logs are hand hewn, meaning it’s an earlier construction, and it uses a rare joint fastening method. The feature, called a “step-and-lock-notch,” uses multiple cuts on both logs at a corner to create an interlocking system.

The close-up photo shows the detail of the unique corner joints used on the historic Perry County cabin to be featured in a TV show this spring. (Laurie Jean Houck photo)

The cabin was purchased in 2002 by Jack Rudy and was inside the walls of a larger home covered in aluminum siding. Rudy used it as a rental property but was aware of the cabin because of renovations done in the past.

In May 2021, after the renters moved on, Donna and Joe Hudson bought the property and began uncovering the historic cabin. Donna is Rudy’s daughter. When they realized they had a unique cabin, they began looking for someone to buy it. That’s where Bowe and his show came into play.

You can learn more about Bowe’s company at its website barnwoodliving.com.

Jim T. Ryan can be reached via email at jtryan@perrycountytimes.com

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