The home was built by Ole Kolbjorn Livedalen. He and his wife Astri Mellem Livedalen and her 2 1/2-year-old daughter, Christi, by a previous marriage came to what soon evolved into Freeborn County during early 1853.
The Livedalen cabin had split burr oak logs for flooring and a sod-covered roof. In the fall of 1854 this family had a son, Kolbjorn Ole, who became the first white child born in Freeborn County.The William Beighley family purchased the cabin in 1856 and soon replaced the log flooring with sawed-oak boards and removed the sod roofing and used shingles instead. This cabin was continuously occupied by several families until 1904. In 1909 the cabin was moved to the fairgrounds through the sponsorship of the Territorial Pioneers Organization.
The William Beighley family purchased the cabin in 1856 and soon replaced the log flooring with sawed-oak boards and removed the sod roofing and used shingles instead. This cabin was continuously occupied by several families until 1904. In 1909 the cabin was moved to the fairgrounds through the sponsorship of the Territorial Pioneers Organization. The rustic cabin was located at the north end of the fairgrounds until 1957 when it was moved to its present site. The original site of the Livedalen cabin was next to what’s now 813th Avenue (County Road 106) about a quarter mile southeast of Gordonsville. A historical marker near the grove of oak trees now marks this site.
The home is now located at the History Center of Freeborn County, in the Village.
