Built upon 150 acres of land in Frankfurt, Kentucky, Grandma Mae’s cabin is the largest log cabin to have ever been built by one human. Built in the 60’s, when Mae was still young, this home has endured many struggles. The Great Tornado of 1978 was the home’s first natural disaster. The tornado ripped through the town of Frankfurt, destroying nearly 90% of what once stood. However, like the strong woman who built the home, Mae’s cabin stood perfectly still and stable while winds of 85 miles per hour whizzed around the home. Over the 50 years since the home was completed, over nine hundred guests have stayed in the 25 rooms of the home, and Mae has shown generous hospitality to each and every one. The New York Times once printed that when their reporter went to visit Mae, “She opened her doors and sat me down for a glass of iced tea, and showed me to my room where I was to stay for as many nights as I pleased.”
The Guinness Book of World Records states that it is the most amazing piece of architecture ever created, stating that the ornate details juxtapose the hardships endured to erect this massive and record-breaking building. Science Weekly states that Mae must have single handedly cut down and stacked 3,000 trees to form such a large foundation. Some credit Mae’s size to the fact that she was able to create such a home; at seven feet tall and weighing in at 320 pounds, this argument is surely justified.
Sarah Field