Charles Sweeney Cabin: Difference between revisions

Charles Sweeney was the cousin of [[Joel Sweeney]],<ref name="sweeney2"> {{cite web|url= http://www.nps.gov/archive/apco/sweeney.htm|title= The Musical Sweeneys of Appomattox |accessdate= 2009-01-21}}</ref> the person that popularized the five-string [[United States|American]] [[banjo]].<ref name="sweeney3"> {{cite web|url= http://www.appomattoxhistory.org/|title= Appomattox Historical Society|accessdate= 2009-01-21}}</ref> In the 1840s the Sweeney clan lived on the stagecoach road northeast of Clover Hill, the name of the village now known as the Appomattox Court House National Historical Park. John Sweeney, a [[wheelwright]] and Charles' brother, lived in the old family home on the north bank of the [[Appomattox river]] with his wife and four children. When Joel was not touring the country entertaining he would stay at John's cabin. Just up the road the four children of John's, being nephews and nieces of Charles, could see their uncle's small cabin. Charles lived in the tiny cabin with his wife and two remaining children. Charles Sweeney's older son Robert, a left-handed fiddle player, lived in even a smaller cabin with his wife and baby daughter downhill from John.<ref> Marvel, ''A Place Called Appomattox,'' p. 18 </ref>

The Charles Sweeney Cabin is a single story one room structure with a loft. It is about twenty feet wide by about eighteen feet deep. The cabin is a post & beam hall house set on dry-laid fieldstone pier foundation. A rough, crudely quoined, fieldstone chimney extends to the second floor and above with brick. There are windows on the north, south and east sides. The south and east sides have single four panelled doors. The interior of the cabin is in good condition. The one room interior and the loft is whitewashed. The door and window surrounds suggest the cabin was intended to be, but never was, plastered. An open "dog-leg" stairway is located in the northeast corner with original balusters, stringer trim, newel post and railing. One original four-paned interior closet door remains. Hewn oak, L-form corner posts and knee braces alternate with secondary members of pine.<ref name="sweeney1"/>