Frontier Ingenuity at Its Finest How 1800s Pioneers Turned Tree Stumps Into Cozy Homes
Imagine wandering through a dense, misty forest when you spot a cozy little home carved into the base of a towering tree stump. It sounds like something straight out of a fairytale, but in the rugged 1800s, it was everyday reality for some of America’s earliest settlers on the West Coast. Back then, before the lumber industry toppled millions of ancient giants, the forests were filled with trees so massive their trunks could measure 20 feet across or more. Once felled (a task so intense it could take a month), these colossal stumps were too big, stubborn, and abundant to remove easily. Rather than blowing them up (though
house met its end in 1946, you can still marvel at an 18-foot stump house today at the Stillaguamish Valley Pioneer Museum nearby. But stump houses weren’t just for surviving; they were for celebrating, too. In Calaveras, California, settlers turned a massive hollowed-out tree into a grand dance hall and hotel. Guests waltzed under twinkling candlelight and cedar boughs strung high above the forest floor. As one 1850s newspaper gushed, it was “romantic and beautiful beyond description” ( although the ladies did wish the stump-turned-dance floor had a little more bounce )!
some tried with dynamite), the pioneers did what pioneers do best: They got scrappy. They turned the stumps into homes, post offices, barns, and even dance floors!
In a time when luxury was a warm fire and a sturdy roof (or stump) over your head, these quirky homes captured the best of pioneer spirit: grit, resourcefulness, and a little bit of magic. Next time you pass an ancient stump on a hike, imagine what stories it might hold. In the right hands and with a bit of imagination, it might have been the coziest home on the frontier!
One of the most legendary stump homes was the Lennstrom Stump House in Edgecomb, Washington. Crafted from a cedar stump 22 feet wide, it sheltered three adults and three children, proving that creativity could turn leftover lumber into a home. Though the original Lennstrom
Tax Relief for Massachusetts Homeowners
What the Changes Mean for You
If you own property in Massachusetts, you already know local taxes can hit hard. Between property taxes, excise taxes, and other local levies, the bills add up fast. Until recently, though, many homeowners couldn’t deduct the full amount of those taxes on their federal returns. That’s because of a cap known as the SALT deduction limit — short for state and local taxes. When the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act went into effect in 2018, it placed a $10,000 ceiling on how much homeowners could deduct in state and local taxes. For many homeowners in the Boston area and beyond, that barely made a dent in their actual payments. The limit was especially tough on those with higher property values or those in towns with steeper rates.
Now, there’s a change worth paying attention to. The recently passed tax bill — dubbed the “One Big Beautiful Bill” — raises the SALT cap from $10,000 to $40,000, effective in 2025. For Massachusetts homeowners, this means more breathing room and potentially thousands more in deductions when tax season comes around. It’s worth noting that the deduction will return to $10,000 in 2030. While the exact impact will vary depending on your income and filing status, the new limit is expected to benefit many property owners in high-tax states. It could make a difference for those buying and selling real estate, especially when decisions hinge on long-term financial planning. SALT deductions could also potentially boost the
housing market in Massachusetts and other states with high local taxes.
Other key changes in the new tax bill include the restoration of a deduction for mortgage insurance and an expansion of a housing tax credit for builders of low-income housing. The latter is expected to significantly increase the number of low-income rental properties nationwide over the next decade. Whether you’re thinking about refinancing, investing in a second property, or finally making that move, knowing how the SALT cap and other recent tax changes apply to you can help you make better decisions. And if you have questions about how the changes could affect your real estate plans, we’re always happy to talk.
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