Francis Stupey Log Cabin

Just found out that Francis (Franz) Stupefy was my great great grandfather. So cool to be part of a historical find. Now I have to get back there to view this little pice of my genealogy.

Stupey Cabin sure isn’t stupey (d). It reminds me of The Little House on the Prairie. Except this is Little House on the North Shore so our prairie kids corn cob dolls probably had Lacoste polos.
Anyhoo it was built in 1847 and is Highland Park’s oldest freestanding structure. One room house with a fireplace, spinning wheel for yarn and wool, butter churn, a bed. .. the usual jive that Amish folks still use today or that come with kids Kirsten American Girl doll. To get inside you need to arrange for a showing.
Of course there’s the Annual Stupey Cabin event every June 1^st where they have cabin tours, a ho down, people jamming, BBQ picnic, petting zoo. It seems like EVERY YEAR they hold this fundraiser to SAVE the cabin (sotto voice «That’s what the definition of ‘annual’ is beeyotch. Every year») I mean its a tinyass wood plus sized shack, how much money to they need to collect each year? I mean it should be fine now, LOL.
So next time you are in the area take a gander. It’s nice to have a respect for history in Highland Park and a respect for such a tiny house here!

Have you ever passed by something in your town a bazillion times and never really stopped to think about what the heck it is or why it’s there in the first place?
I’ve lived in Highland Park a little over four years now, and for all this time I’ve passed by a log cabin resting on the lawn near our City Hall. I never really thought much about it and simply accepted it for what it was… a log cabin on the lawn near Downtown Highland Park.
Funny enough, I recently received an email from a friend about the Annual Stupey Cabin family event coming up. This is when I decided it was time for me to learn more about this landmark.
FOR HISTORY BUFFS:
So it turns out it’s actually the Francis Stupey Log Cabin Museum and Highland Park’s oldest standing structure. It was built in 1847 by the Stupey Family who received the Exmoor property as a government grant to log acres of virgin timber land. It originally stood on the site of the Baker Cottage and was used as the Stupey home until 1875 and then a farm building until 1896. It was then rebuilt in 1910 and used as the Golf Shop at the Exmoor Country Club and then eventually the Caddy House. It was moved to its current location in 1968.
If you’re wondering what’s inside, you’ll need to peek through the windows or arrange for a special viewing by appointment. The Historical Society keeps it locked up for preservation purposes. Outside looking in, you’ll see a one-​room house with a fireplace, spinning wheel, butter churn, double-​size bed, and all the basic furniture pieces needed for a family in the 1800’s to live. In NYC this amount of space would be a dream!
The next time you’re out and about in the downtown HP area, park across the street or simply walk over from the Metra stop or the shopping district. It’s actually a landmark worth checking out. And, don’t forget the Annual Stupey Cabin event Saturday, June 1 (
)!
BTW, it’s really hard to rate a landmark, but I gave it 4 out of 5 stars because it’s locked and not open to the public for regular viewing hours.