The Dickson Log House

William Dickson bought the land, and adjoining tracts, in 1789. He shared the property with his son John. Approximately in 1795, not long after the land opened up following removal of the Indian threat, John built a cabin for himself and a second one for his parents and family on the Fairview tract. His family cleared the land and farmed until 1825.

David Dickson owned the house until 1860. It was then inherited by Dickson's niece, Sarah Jane, who was married to James Wilson. After the Wilson's, the house passed on to several owners. Most older structures in the area disappeared to be replaced by larger, more comfortable homes. After the middle of the 19th century, the log house was sold to a succession of owners.

Most of the land remained controlled by William's sons, John and David. One third was sold to provide money for Dickson's daughters.

One daughter, Hannah, married William Courtney in 1804. Courtney had purchased an adjoining parcel from John Wilkins in what is now Emsworth, including the Avonworth athletic field. Wilkins had evicted a squatter named John Cheney. Cheney had built a sawmill in 1800 along Lowries Run less than a quarter mile from the Dickson log house. Courtney operated a mill (sawmill and gristmill) and became a major influence in the area's early development.

A now forgotten road, Courtney Mill Road, provided a route from this riverside settlement to the "Hilands" which is now West View.

In 1912, Bion E. Merry bought the log house and for approximately 40 years it was known as Merry's Dairy; a milk processing business. At some time, siding was added to the house which hid the logs from view. Additions to the house also served to obscure its identity. Thereafter, the old Dickson log house became less and less noticed and was forgotten by most as the oldest house in area which became the borough of Ben Avon. But when the time came to raze the building for new construction a local resident did remember its history. Gladys Phillips acted to form a committee to save this house. A plaque memorializing her effort is in the garden. That committee subsequently became the Ben Avon Area Historical Association.