Matthews Cabin was built in 1869 near Galax, Virginia, by Samuel and Elizabeth Matthews. It was donated to the National Park Service in 1956 and moved to this location. By the 1950s it had been renovated many times, including having had wood siding, or “weatherboarding,” installed.

Once powered sawmills made their way into the rural areas and wooden boards could be mass produced (and there were many such mills in the Blue Ridge Mountains by the early 1900s), many people simply encased their out-of-date log cabins in the wood siding, both inside and out. This gave them an instant upgrade to the latest style. The NPS, however, choose to restore the cabin to its original appearance, so today you still see the logs.