Stump houses are a little-known phenomenon outside of areas like Appalachia. The following video and short list of facts provide some insight into this unique feature of Appalachian life.
Unfortunately, there is very little information available about Appalachian stump houses. If you have more information than what is in this article, please share it in the comments.
Appalachian Immigration
In the 1800s, European pioneers who moved into Appalachia and the West faced housing shortages. Many of these pioneers followed the Wilderness Road, blazed by the legendary frontiersman Daniel Boone, and passed into the region through the Cumberland Gap. Others traveled from Pennsylvania along the Great Wagon Road into the Shenandoah Valley. Many of these pioneers were Germans and Scots-Irish.
Where are American Chestnut Trees Found?
American Chestnut Trees grow along the eastern United States, from southern Maine, across to Michigan, then down through Indiana and Illinois, all the way south to Alabama and Mississippi. From these boundaries, chestnut trees spread eastward into the Appalachians.