In the early 1800s a man named Little Jon lived in this so called earth cabin (swe. ‘backstuga’) located in southern Småland, Sweden. An earthen cabin is built partially buried in the ground, in this case there’s three walls of stone and one wall made of wood. In Sweden earthen cabins was common in the forests from the 1600s until the late 1800s and was inhabited by poor, old or sometimes criminal people. The cabins was built on the border between two landowners and stood on leasehold land where there was very little or no land to cultivate. People who lived in these cabins often worked for their landowners to make their living. Both Jon’s mother and his brother had drowned themselves in the lake which shows how hard life may have been during that time.
During the 1970s the cabin was renovated and was used as a refuge for a family in the village who were afraid of the Russians. Occasionally the family resorted to their sanctuary deep within the forest and read aloud from the bible. In more recent years a girl from this family, who now owns the place, have along with her husband saved the cabin from rot and restored it. This forest and this cabin is really something else. If you’re interested to visit Little Jon’s cabin, visit agetorp.se for more info.