The Highland Park Historical Society has received the blessing of the Historic Preservation Commission to alter the Francis Stupey Cabin in order to restore a front porch that was part of the original 1847 design.
The commission May 26 granted the society a Certificate of Appropriateness to alter the log cabin that once served as home to early Prussian settlers. The cabin is named for its original owner and is believed to be Highland Park’s oldest standing structure. Exterior modifications to the cabin, which was designated a landmark in 1985, require approval of the Historic Preservation Commission, the panel charged with guarding the historic integrity of local landmarks.
Historical Society President Rob Rotering said the organization can now move forward with plans to raise the cabin and replace the lower timbers.
“We are going to raise the cabin up about 12 inches off the ground, so that the lower timbers don’t get rotted out,” said Rotering, the husband of Mayor Nancy Rotering. “We are going to replace the bottom timbers going all the way around. We are going to extend the roof a bit, like the cabin used to be, to take the water away from the cabin and return it to the original design.”
The front roof will be extended and supported by posts, as it appears in old photographs. The timbers will be treated with a preservative and borate to prevent bug infestations. A sealant will be added between the timbers next year. Rotering said some of the timbers are believed to be from the original construction in the mid 1800s while some were replaced 50 to 60 years ago.
Rotering said the society hopes to have the restoration project substantially completed by mid-2017 in time for a Stupey Cabin picnic next June.
The cabin was moved from the Exmoor Country Club property to its high-profile location between the Highland Park Public Library and Highland Park City Hall in 1968. Exmoor donated the cabin for the city’s centennial celebration in 1969. For the past half-dozen years, the society has been working to raise funds to address structural degradation and interior damage caused by water exposure, and to restore the landscaping around the grounds.
The society is creating a plaza near the cabin with name-engraved bricks recognizing donors who made a $150 contribution, or the family members they choose to honor.
According to local historians, Francis Stupey, who also went by Franz or Frank, received a visa from the Prussian government in 1846 and traveled by boat with his wife Margaretha and daughter Catharina. Margaretha’s family already was living in the area and there is some evidence her family may have started building the cabin in the heavily-wooded area of what is now the Exmoor Country Club in anticipation of the Stupeys arrival, according to local historians.
Francis Stupey made his living by burning wood from the forest to create charcoal, then selling the charcoal in Chicago, according to historians.
Third graders in North Shore District 112 visit the Stupey Cabin during their study of local history.
@KarenABerkowitz
