Baugh Log Home History
By Travis Baugh (09/05/2008)

This Article is part of the
Tour of Interesting Homes in Ellicovttville.

Texas native Travis Baugh came to Bradford PA in January 1980 from Dallas to work in the oil and gas supply industry, where he met his future wife, Darlene Schenfield. Darlene introduced Travis to the wonders of Ellicottville, where they would come after work on weeknights and weekends to ski at Holiday Valley. Travis and Darlene moved back to Dallas in 1981, then to Houston in 1983. But they never lost their connection to this area, as they returned frequently to visit Darlene’s family in Bradford. On each visit, they would always stop in Ellicottville to have a drink and reminisce about their adventures here. They eventually decided they wanted to own some property in the area so that they might be able to one day fulfill a dream they both shared- to have a log home!

After several months of looking for the right spot, in October 2002 they found the perfect property on Partridge Hill Road for their dream home. The lot is just over five acres, with a gentle slope upward towards the McCarty Hill State Park, a 3,300 acre park, with several miles of mountain bike and hiking trails, and in walking distance of Holiday Valley’s new Spruce Lake. Travis and Darlene visited the property a few times each year, where they had erected a picnic table and a fire pit, and would sit around a bon fire with a glass of champagne dreaming of how their log home would look. Even though they were living in Houston, they never gave up their ties to the area or their log home dream.

In 2005, they decided it was time to build their log home. Starting with a rough design (the “Pennsylvanian”) from Kuhns Brothers Log Homes in Lewisburg PA, Darlene and Travis designed their dream home, complete with two large porches and a full basement. The home was built by Rex Harper Construction in Jamestown and was completed in December 2005. The basement was completely designed by Darlene and Travis and completed in 2008. The home was beautifully decorated by Darlene in western and rustic fashion, with several western portraits by famed western artist G. Harvey throughout the home. Darlene is also an accomplished water colorist, and you will see several of her paintings featured throughout the home.

There are several highlights to note during a tour of this unique log home. First, there is no drywall in the home. The exterior and outside interior walls are constructed of full-size logs. There is no chinking in between the logs- there are long steel bolts that secure the logs together. In between each log, there is a thin layer of sheeting to fully seal it. The interior walls and ceilings are all tongue and groove pine. The home has a Sonance sound system which sends soothing music through all the rooms of the house, as well as to the back porch and back yard.

When you first enter the home, you will notice the leaded-glass front door, which was purchased in Houston (coincidentally the manufacturer’s name for it is the “Travis” door). In the Great Room, you will see the 700 lb. hearth above the fireplace, which was hand-cut by chainsaw from a large red oak tree on their lot.

Other features include the large bay window in the dining room, granite counter tops in the kitchen and separate island, a skylight and lighted shelves above the kitchen. Next on the tour is Travis’s office, featuring matching oxblood leather sofa and chair and a unique footstool (it is actually a camel saddle). Look above the shuttered closet for the Case Bowie knife that Darlene gave Travis on his 26th birthday. Across from the office is the stairwell that leads to the recently finished basement. You will immediately notice the large bearskin rug that adorns the stairwell wall (Travis likes to tell everyone he killed it with his Bowie knife, but there is some controversy about that version). The finished basement features a stone-encased wine cellar with a wrought iron door, a cast-iron Radiance fireplace and a stained glass enclosed nitch.

Back up stairs in the guest bedroom you will see Amish-made beds and nightstand, as well as a framed Christmas card the Baugh’s received from famed Native American artist R. C. Gorman. Continuing across the hall you will note that the guest bath features a claw-foot tub and skylight. Entering the master bedroom you will see another large bay window and an antique hutch that was first owned by Travis’s great-grandmother. The master bath has Travis’s sole contribution to the design of the home- a steam shower.

Walk out the back door from the master bedroom onto the large back porch, which is decorated with Amish rocking chairs and a small picnic table. From the porch you can see the large fire pit in the back yard surrounded by Adirondack chairs where you can see a million stars on a clear night. Darlene and Travis love their log home and hope everyone enjoys the tour!