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Here's the oldest building in Pennsylvania, built around 1640

The Lower Swedish Cabin in Drexel Hill is one of the oldest log cabins in the U.S., too

By Melissa Romero and Michelle Goldchain
The Lower Swedish Cabin in Drexel Hill is considered the oldest building in Pennsylvania.
via Wikimedia Commons

Editor’s note: This article was originally published on October 6, 2015 and has been updated with the most recent information.

In the video below, you can tour through Pennsylvania's oldest building and one of the United States' oldest log cabins, the Lower Swedish Cabin. Built around 1640, this two-story building is located on Creek Road in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

During the 17th century, Swedish immigrants used the cabin as a trading post with the local Indians, trading simple tools, furs, and native crafts. Once the Swedish settlers left the area, other settlers used the cabin throughout the 18th and 19th centuries before film pioneer Siegmund Lubin used the a locale for movies from 1904 to 1906.

Afterwards, the Lower Swedish Cabin was used as a private residence and then a meeting space for Girl Scouts before being abandoned altogether. Afterwards, it fell to neglect and vandalism.

In order to rejuvenate one of Pennsylvania's most historic buildings, a group of county residents formed the Friends of the Swedish Cabin, restored the building, and succeeded in having the building designated a National Historic Landmark in the 80s.

Courtesy of the Library of Congress

Today, it stands relatively unaltered from when it was originally built, as evidenced by the new video tour below. It’s now open for tours from May through October on Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m.