McMullen-Coachman Log Cabin

Check out the oldest surviving building in Pinellas County - the McMullen Coachman Log Cabin, built in about 1852.

Captain James P. McMullen and wife Elizabeth (Campbell) relocated here from Georgia, seeking a climate to help James recover from “consumption”, a lung disease also known as tuberculosis. To help his condition, McMullen built the house so plenty of air would flow through it, as he put it, with spaces large enough to throw a cat through! Now no one was throwing any cats, but you get the idea!

Lots of fresh air was also available on the large open front porch and through the “dog-trot” breezeway.

The McMullen family farmed citrus, raised cattle, built the first school and operated the earliest hospital from their home. Serving as a midwife, Elizabeth helped many area women deliver their babies here.

The Coachman family, most of whom relocated from Georgia, purchased the cabin and surrounding lands in 1901. By the time they acquired the structure, it needed maintenance and improvements. Glass was added to the windows, the cracks between the logs were filled, and a kitchen, dining room and large back porch were added. They lived in the cabin through the 1920s, sometimes using it as a summer camp or storage area. The family added other structures on the land over time, and by 1937, operated the Kumquat Shop there.