"The slaves lived in hewed-log houses. I have often seen hewed-log
houses. Have you ever seen one? You cut big logs and split them open
with a maul and a wedge. Then you take a pole ax and hack it on both
sides. Then you notch it--cut it into a sort of tongue and groove
joint in each end. Before you cut the notches in the end, you take a
broad ax and hew it on both sides. The notch holds the corners of the
house-ties every corner. You put the rafters up just like you do now.
Then you lathe the rafters and then put boards on top of the rafters.
Sometimes shingles were used on the rafters instead of boards.
"You would finish off the outside of the walls by making clay cakes
out of mud and filling up the cracks with them. When that clay got
hard, nothing could go through the walls. Sometimes thin boards were
nailed on the inside to finish the interior.