Visit the Harma House

The Harma House is a typical log home lived in by an immigrant family.  Built in 1921 by Nante Harma, it was disassembled in 1972 and moved to its present location on the grounds of Little Finland.  Reassembly was completed in 1985 and a dedication took place on October 1, 1985.

Nante Harma was a subsistence farmer and also worked as a logger in Iron Belt, Wisconsin.  His sons followed in their father's footsteps.  Nante and his wife, Ida, raised five children: four sons and a daughter, north of Iron Belt.  Dorothy Harma, son Oliver's wife, supplied the information.

The home was originally built on a higher elevation in Alder Creek Valley overlooking the vista of  the present day White Cap Mountain ski area.  The homestead consisted of a small, cleared area amidst large stumps, the aftermath of the earlier logging era and a setting then typical of the North Country.

The logs used for the house came from the cedar grove surrounding the lower level.  Trees were cut down with crosscut saws, skidded out by horses, and then the bark was stripped off.  The men working on the construction were skilled axemen, having learned their trade in Finland.  Neighbors and friends helped build the house.

The logs were hewn on two sides with broadaxes and then were scribed with a two-sided tool so that it was easier to fit each tier of logs together.  The corner ends were dove-tailed to provide tightly fitting locking corners.  Wooden pegs were driven into drilled holes to secure the logs.  The family used rags to caulk logs to keep out strong north winds.