Athens, Ga. – The University of Georgia-produced documentary “The Georgia Log Cabin,” written, produced and directed by UGA producer and videographer Bill Evelyn, will air on Georgia Public Broadcasting at 5:30 p.m. on May 14.

As recently as 50 or 60 years ago, some Georgians were still living in hand-hewn log houses they had built themselves. And while a few modern, nature-loving Southerners choose to live in them today for pleasure, the idea of having been born or lived in a log cabin or house out of impoverished necessity has traditionally brought mostly shame, said UGA anthropologist Bob Rhoades.

Perhaps because of this attitude, log cabins in Georgia do not receive the same kind of preservation attention as they should. However, Rhoades said he hopes that “The Georgia Log Cabin” will change prevailing attitudes and encourage fresh interest in these historical landmarks.

A class offered by Rhoades, who is a Distinguished Research Professor in the Department of Anthropology at UGA’s Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, initially inspired Evelyn. Rhoades’ “Historical Ecology” class, offered every fall, gives an overview of human impact over time on ecological, rural landscapes, with a focus on the piedmont of the southeastern U.S. As part of the class, students learn different historical skills using tools that would have been available at that time; last fall, they learned how to select timber, skin and notch logs and assemble log homes using pioneer-era tools.

“I liked the log cabin part of it so much, that I especially wanted to do something for broadcast, and specifically something for Georgia Public Broadcasting,” said Evelyn. “This was a subject that was specific to the state, and I thought GPB would be the perfect outlet for it.”

Evelyn spent two and a half years researching and traveling throughout Georgia, visiting historic sites and interviewing log cabin enthusiasts in Athens-Clarke, Fannin, Gwinnett, Madison, Mcintosh, Oglethorpe and Worth counties. The 26-minute long documentary entertainingly recounts the history of log cabins and houses (and explains the difference between the two), as well as modern preservation of log structures. History comes alive courtesy of scenes featuring costumed reenactors, and in one case, the UGA equestrian team, disguised as frontier settlers on horseback.

The film features interviews with experts such as Rhoades and Robert Murray, a historian with the Rabun Gap, Ga.-based Foxfire, a non-profit organization devoted to the education and culture of Southern Appalachia. Also featured are Georgians who have been compelled to build and inhabit their own log homes from scratch, using available materials and labor from friends.  For those who don’t have the time to collect the lumber themselves, the business of log cabin kits is explored – such as those offered by contractor Davy Crockett in Blue Ridge, Ga., who is a direct descendent of the historical figure.

“I think Bill has done a tremendous service for the people of Georgia, and the people of the South, by documenting this extremely important structure in the history of the state,” said Rhoades.

“While we go about saving archaeological sites and antebellum mansions, this architecture has been completely neglected,” he continued. “We don’t preserve them as we should. What this film will do is really reverse these attitudes, change the way we all look at these historic structures and give them new meaning in our modern, hurried lives.”

The documentary should appeal to history buffs and the curious viewer alike, said Evelyn.

“Everybody has their own vision of their own little cabin in the woods,” he said.

By the time the documentary airs, viewers will be able to find out more information on log cabins and homes and how to preserve them at http://www.logcabin.uga.edu.

The Department of Anthropology in UGA’s Franklin College places an emphasis in the study of human societies past and present, with a focus on ecological and environmental anthropology.  The department’s mission is to pursue and disseminate anthropological knowledge of human cultural behavior and human-environment interaction.  For more information on the department, visit www.anthro.uga.edu/.

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