About

Through the years, Honest Abe has become one of the leading log home manufacturers in the country. Our national network of Independent Dealerships, four Tennessee based sales models, along with thousands of customers have made Honest Abe one of the most reliable, trusted and respected log home companies in the United States.

The Growth of the Company:

The initial idea was to use Poplar logs because they were so plentiful locally. However, a switch to White Pine was made because Poplar cracked too much, while White Pine retained its integrity and cracked less.

Another industry standard by Honest Abe: using kiln-dried logs. The kiln drying process brings the logs' moisture content down to 18 percent or less, drastically reducing the wood's propensity to crack and shrink.

"That was what really started setting us apart from the competition," observes Doug Smith, owner of Honest Ab. "At that point, in the mid-80s, the other log home companies were focusing more on price, price, price. But the product was inferior. We were - and always will be - committed to quality and value. When we started using kiln-dried logs, we raised the bar."

In addition to product developments, Honest Abe also began to expand its reach in the Tennessee area. Stretching out beyond its rural headquarters, Honest Abe established its first sales model in Murfreesboro, just south of Nashville.

Soon, other sales models sprung up across Middle Tennessee. Cookeville and Crossville, each located on the Cumberland Plateau, were natural locations for Honest Abe.

"Cookeville was growing at a steady rate, so it only made sense to develop a presence there. Crossville has always had a reputation for being an ideal retirement area. We wanted to put up a sales model to provide retirees a log home option to their custom home desires," says Doug.

By the time the 1990s rolled around, many of Honest Abe's competitors had fallen by the wayside. But Doug (who had brought his son, Shane, and daughter, April, into the family business) continued to see the potential of what had started out as a small enterprise and had now grown into a very large operation. Doug and Janie are still active in Honest Abe, advising Shane and April in the day to day operations.

But even with this larger group, Doug saw the opportunity to extend the family even more. By setting up a wholesale pricing structure and recruiting businesses across the nation to carry Honest Abe's line of log home packages and products, the company was able to increase its national presence. Today, Honest Abe supplies a large network of businesses across the country with products for them to sell and market.

The Future of Honest Abe:

The future still burns brightly for Honest Abe Log Homes. More and more people are choosing to build custom log homes, and many are selecting Honest Abe as their log home producer.

Today, Honest Abe is a part of a very large diversified wood products operation at Moss, Tennessee. Three large hardwood sawmills supply their own lumber company with a steady supply of hardwood lumber. There's a mulch company supplying landscaping mulch products made of bark from the sawmills. A trucking company ships these products and a variety of other wood-related products nationwide.

Doug and Janie are still very active in the day-to-day operations of Honest Abe Log Homes, advising Shane and April as they take on leadership roles, and continuing the growth of all companies.

If history is any indication, it seems as though Honest Abe Log Homes is heading in the right direction.