Restoration of the Brown Log Cabin

Built in 1834 near what became the Joliet Arsenal by Peter and Mary Brown for their daughter and her husband until after the Civil War, the cabin was later sold to the Redemacher family who used it until the early 1940s.

It was then moved to the Grundy County fairgrounds for the next thirty years until the land was sold to a private developer in 1972.

But instead of being demolished, the cabin was offered to the Will County Historical Society and moved in pieces to the Pioneer Village in Lockport, IL.  It was reassembled and stood for the next three decades, and was taken apart and put into storage to be reestablished at a later date and location.

However, due to the environmental conditions, we have lost a number of the logs to rotting and animal damage. We will need to pay not only to replace the logs, but to pour a foundation, and re-erect the cabin.

We are seeking to rebuild the log cabin at our new Heritage Village site, and are in the process of raising funds through our Capital Campaign.  We would like to have the assistance of the community help with reestablishing the Brown Log Cabin, so that we may educate the community about pioneer life in Will County.

The Will County Historical Society would like to thank all of our donors, supporters, and volunteers for helping us spread the word about preserving the history of Will County.


The Will County Historical Society exists so that people and organizations may be connected to the rich history of Will County, Illinois

Website: https://willhistory.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Will-County-Historical-Museum-and-Research-Center-101262197635/