15. James Buchanan

Another “log cabin” president, James Buchanan was born April 23, 1791, in Cove Gap, Pennsylvania, where his father owned a trading post on a route passing through the Alleghany Mountains. While Buchanan was still a young child, the Buchanans relocated to nearby Mercersburg where Buchanan’s father opened a store and became wealthy through real estate investments. James Buchanan fondly remembered the rustic mountain setting of Cove Gap, but he was largely a child of Mercersburg. He studied mathematics, Latin, Greek, and literature at a local academy before attending Dickinson College. His birth home is the only surviving log cabin presidential birthplace. It was relocated from its original locale in Cove Gap, however, and is situated on the campus of Mercersburg Academy. The birth site at Cove Gap is now Buchanan’s Birthplace State Park, and a pyramidal stone monument marks the former spot of the cabin.

-Andrew B. Leiter

The original site for Buchanan's birthplace is set amongst a stand of tall pines in earshot of a small brook nearby. The small rough pyramid that marks the spot does give the feeling of humbleness in the midst of the wide wild surrounding woods. Just down the road in Mercersburg on the campus of the military academy, stands the original log cabin. Original! While the light was very harsh with deep dark shadows, I spent the better part of the afternoon photographing the home. I capitalized on the strong light falling across the 225-year-old logs, revealing their age through textures worn by countless rain storms, sunny days, and cold nights the home has weathered over the years.

--Matthew Albritton  

Matthew Albritton