Immigrants from Switzerland and Germany brought a valuable knowledge of log home construction to America. During the 1700s, when pioneers moved further inland, their building techniques and ideas followed, quickly spreading across the expanding frontier. Here in remote areas beyond the original 13 Colonies, building sites were usually a great distance from lumber mills. As an alternative, sturdy log construction became a relatively quick and easy answer. In a matter of days, tightly laid logs provided a much needed shelter from the elements.
   The highly influential craftsmen movement during the early 1900s brought about a resurgence of log home construction. The Old Faithful Inn in Yellowstone National Park is a notable example. Its appropriate rustic style blended with the park's surrounding scenery and many of these unique lodges survive to this day. The Collier Log House, found in the Thurmont area of Maryland, is a good example of broadaxe hewn log home. More than a double log house, the cabin is now used as the headquarters of the Catoctin Furnace Historical Society. Once home to furnace worker families, the Collier home doubles as a museum and interpretive center telling the story of Catoctin Furnace and the iron-making process. Built in the early 1800s, the Collier home is listed in the National Registration of Historic Places and is one of many historic sites located in Frederick County, Maryland.
   The vintage iron furnace, built in 1858, is a second generation structure, dubbed Isabella. Hundreds of workers were needed for iron production as the blast furnace roared 24 hours a day for months at a time. Miners worked the Catoctin Mountain iron ore pits, area limestone and coal mines. Woodcutters cleared huge tracts of timber, used in charcoal production. A village of workers were needed for this labor intensive industry, as well as craftsmen to built area infrastructure.
   Here along the Catoctin Mountain Loop, the Thurmont Historical Society invites sightseers to experience the city's early architecture. Along with the Isabella Iron Furnace, other examples include the Harriet Chapel, Creeger House, and various buildings in the Thurmont Historic District.

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