Documenting the story of this home and preserving it for the future is challenging, as it is with many historic African American properties. Little is known about its past inhabit-ants due to the inadequacies of public records available about Black Alabamians. However, many Black communities have kept their history alive through oral storytelling. Th e collected oral histories of the Meredith family play a crucial role in explaining the historical signifi cance of the log house on their property.
Th e home’s front porch roof has been lost due to storm damage. In addition, a modern concrete porch deck abuts the main house, creating mois-ture retention. As a result, the visible logs on the front of the house exhibit substantial water dam-age. Th e home is in danger of collapsing without intervention. Th is house is a rare example of a surviving log dogtrot house built in the early twen-tieth century by an African American who was only one generation removed from slavery.