The Shack at Hinkle Farm
South Fork Mountain
Upper Tract, West Virginia

History and Description of the Project

The Shack at Hinkle Farm was designed as a weekend retreat for a family from the suburbs of Washington D.C. This diminutive bucolic structure is situated on the southern slope of South Fork Mountain, near Upper Tract, West Virginia, looking toward the edge of Virginia in the distance. The 27-acre site was part of a much larger homestead that was cleared and farmed by the Hinkle family in the early part of the 20th century. The abandoned (except for the ghost of Bill Hinkle) farmhouse and the Hinkle family cemetery are on the site.

The shack was created as a logical step between tent camping, and the yet unrealized weekend cottage. This fundamental shelter has no electricity. Oil lamps provide light. Heat is provided by a small wood stove, which is also used to heat water that is delivered to the “kitchen” sink by a gravity system. The vertical drop is achieved by using a hand-powered bilge pump to fill an overhead storage tank. Rain water is collected from the roof as part of the outdoor shower system. Acknowledging the constant struggle between mouse (and occasionally rattlesnake and bear) and man, the shack sits upon four wood posts with rodent barriers, a detail borrowed from local corn cribs. The board and batten siding is locally milled pine. The roof is standing-seam terne.

The southeastern façade of the building is opened to a cantilevered wood deck with an overhead-acting aluminum and glass garage door. A removable canvas awning serves to shade the deck and extend the living space during wet weather. Small windows on the northwestern façade allow the mountain breezes to flow through the building, and allow occasional views of cows on the adjacent pasture.