“In the summer of 1847, Nicholas and Susana Hilbrich came to America from Germany and settled in an area of Lake County, Indiana, which is now known as Schererville. Upon arrival, Nicholas Hilbrich built a log home from 8” x 12” hand-hewn oak logs. Through the years, the home was added on to and remodeled, but the original log home remained in the center of the house. One would not know driving by the house in subsequent years that a “log cabin” was hidden inside. Ownership of the home and property remained in the Hilbrich family for generations until it was sold in 2007.
The new owner of the home had plans for demolishing the structure. Once knowledge of the log cabin became known to town officials, an effort was made to “save” the cabin. The new owner agreed to let the town have the cabin with the condition that it would be relocated. Officials decided that the most appropriate location for the cabin would be at the recently acquired Scherwood Park. Numerous fundraisers were held to assist in the cost of relocating the cabin and after much coordination, the journey to its new location was held in July of 2008. Many onlookers were present along the route as the cabin trekked slowly down 77th Street and proceeding north on Austin Avenue, crossing busy highway US 30, to its destination off of Joliet Street at Scherwood Park.
The Hilbrich Log Cabin is believed to be the oldest home in Schererville and possibly in Lake County, Indiana. The Cabin was fully restored by Fall 2016 and the grand opening was held on October 26, 2016. Tours and visits to the cabin can be arranged through the Schererville Parks Department.” Town of Schererville Parks and Recreation website)
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