LHL Home Again - April 2007

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56 LOG HOME LIVING APRIL 2007 www.loghomeliving.com

Home AgainAFTER NEARLY 60 YEARS AWAY, JACK HOLCOMB WAS DRAWN

BACK TO THE KENTUCKY MOUNTAINS OF HIS BOYHOOD, MAKINGTHEM THE SERENE SETTING FOR HIS GRAND LOG HOME.

www.loghomeliving.com APRIL 2007 LOG HOME LIVING 57

Jack Holcomb has come a long way from

the small Kentucky town where he was

born. So far, in fact, that after a nearly 60-

year absence, he has finally come full circle and

made his way home again.

A successful career designing and developing elec-

tronic intelligence equipment led him around the

world, but after celebrating his 70th birthday, Jack

found his spirit irresistibly drawn towards the gen-

tle folds of the Appalachians where he was born.

Far from the pollution of city lights,factory smog and vehicle emissions,the new moon rises in a clear nightsky above the Holcombs’ ranch inAshland, Kentucky.

STORY BY Amy Laughinghouse

PHOTOGRAPHY BY Rick Lee


The globetrotting entrepreneur sums upthe yearning that finally brought him backby quoting John Muir, one of the primary architects of Yosemite National Park.“Someone asked him why he was going toYosemite,” Jack recalls. “He said, ‘Themountains are calling, and I must go.’ I feltthe same way.”

Appalachian StyleToday, Jack and his wife, Dede, split theirtime between Fort Lauderdale and the spa-cious log home they built on a 440-acreranch in Ashland, Kentucky. Although he’dnever lived in a log home, Jack’s fondness forthe Old West and for 19th-century antiques,which always look at ease among rustic tim-bers, led him to logs.

He ultimately selected Appalachian LogStructures as his log provider, not only be-cause of the proximity of their West Virginiaoffice, but because of his rapport with the company’s president, Doug Parsons. “He’sa very friendly, helpful person,” Jack notes—and the admiration is mutual.

“I’ve told Jack that he has really gooddreams,” Doug says. Looking at the homeJack designed himself—nestled among greenvelvet hills and a trio of lakes teeming withbass—it’s hard to argue.

“I didn’t want to buy a standard any-thing,” Jack insists. Drawing upon his en-gineering background and a stack of loghome magazines for inspiration, he sketchedout detailed plans for his home, as well as ahost of other structures on the ranch. Thenhe handed his sheaf of papers over toAppalachian Log Structures to translate

ABOVE LEFT: Long before the first logwas stacked, Jack Holcomb had planneda cozy berth for his mammoth modelship. The 6-foot-long vessel, a model ofthe 17th-century French flagship Superb,took two men two years to build. Now itholds a place of honor in an arched win-dow overlooking the portico above thefront entryway.

LEFT: A 125-year-old stained-glass windowbearing the names of Jack’s grandparentsrests on the fireplace mantel below a CivilWar rifle and sword, providing a tangiblelink to the past.


The well-worn boots on the coffeetable—a favorite pair of Jack’s that Dedehad bronzed—are evidence of his love ofadventure and the outdoors. A callbackto Jack’s rodeo days, they serve as aplayful accent among more pedigreedbronzes from the early 19th century.


The large kitchen, which incorporatesoak cabinets topped by granite coun-ters, is centered around an islandrange. Dede is renowned for her cook-ing skills, whipping up everything fromprime rib to turkey and dressing. Thetile floor, which features deliberatelyworn edges for a more rustic look, is anexcellent conductor for the radiantheating installed throughout the home.


If there’s one thing Jack Holcomb’s

background in engineering taught

him, it’s the importance of back-

up systems. Not only does his ranch

in Ashland, Kentucky, have solar pan-

els and generators that can provide

power in case of a blackout, but Jack

also installed three underground cis-

terns, ranging from 63,000 to 75,000

gallons, to augment his water supply.

The cisterns collect rainwater,

which runs off the roof into gutters

that are screened to strain out larger

sediment. From the gutters, the H2O

flows into the cistern through PVC

pipes. When more water is needed, a

pump, similar to a pool pump, forces it

into a pressurized system. It then

passes through a purifying UV filter

before it’s released into the taps.

“Jack was a Boy Scout,” explains

his ranch manager, Top Hishon. “His

belief is to always be prepared.”

—A.L.

READY FOR ANYTHING

ABOVE: Ranch manager Harry “Top” Hishon worked with Jerry O’Brien, a mar-keting specialist for Thomasville Contract Furniture, to select the furnishingsthroughout the home, including the elegant Palais Jardin dining table. Thematching hutch displays a collection of fine china, including a red Wedgwoodpattern also used by Queen Elizabeth II.


ABOVE: In the master bedroom, Wowo,a teacup Yorkie, and his pal Snowballtake a break from all the excitementon the ranch to catch their favoriteshows on the flat-screen televisionmounted to the dry-stacked stone fire-place. The door to the left of thehearth provides direct access to thehome’s wraparound porch.

RIGHT: The Holcombs’ home featuresnot just one, but two master bath-rooms—his and hers. Dede’s incorpo-rates both a spacious walk-in showerand a marble-enclosed Jacuzzi tub.


Main Level

■ Square footage: 7,584

■ Log construction: Stacy Nelson, W-Hollow Log Homes

■ Log provider: Appalachian Log Structures

HOME DETAILS

them into blueprints. Stacy Nelson, who su-pervised the log construction, transformedthem into reality.

Homeward BoundMassive round logs of yellow pine, whichoften serve as telephone poles around theSoutheast because of their size and strength,are mounted as beams in the generous por-tico, setting the tone for the lodge-likegrandeur within.

At least one room, however, wasn’tquite as expansive in the initial design. Theportion of the great room beyond the fire-place originally was intended to be a por-tico, and the house was nearly under roofwhen Jack decided to enclose it. “He said,‘My great room isn’t great enough,’” GaryParsons of Appalachian Log Structures re-calls with a chuckle. The resulting enlargedspace stretches 60 feet into a giant Palladianwindow that captures a view of the valley andthe mountains beyond.

But it’s not just the room’s outsizeddimensions and framed vistas that makeit “great” in every sense of the word.Enormous log beams that measure up to2 feet in diameter are evidence that thehome was built to last. “We worked forweeks on those rafters,” recalls Stacy, whocut and fitted the logs onsite using a chain-saw, a forklift and a crane. He estimatesthat each log weighs about 1,000 pounds.

Equally hefty Eastern white pine logsform the exterior walls, as well as several in-terior partition walls, creating a feeling ofsolid strength that befits a home of suchstriking proportions. Immense floor-to-ceiling stone fireplaces, three times thewidth of the actual firebox, provide a hand-some focal point for the master bedroom aswell as the great room, which soars to 22 feet.

“It has been a process of goinghome—back to the things I grew up look-ing at, like the mountains and the hills andthe Ohio River,” says Jack, who seems tofind the country life rejuvenating. “I tell peo-ple I get up in the morning and eat hayand chase bears with a switch,” he sayswith a laugh. With an attitude like that,he ought to enjoy his new Kentucky homefor years to come. ■

DiningRoom

Garage

GreatRoom

Master Bedroom

Office

Kitchen

Deck

Porch

Upper Level

Lower Level

Loft

Open toBelow

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Vault

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On the porch, a rocking chair is positioned to take in the bucolic view of unfurling fields.When Jack really wants to see what’s happening over hill and dale, he peers through apowerful pair of binoculars salvaged from a decommissioned military cruiser.

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LHL Home Again - April 2007