Log Cabin

The Log Cabin, built by Caille Bros. of Detroit and designed by Adolph A. Caille, was patented beginning January 21, 1901 (granted October 14, 1902) and manufactured starting July 30, 1901. Known as the "Square Top" version, it was originally produced as the Caille-Schiemer Company's 'Log Cabin.' As one of the earliest known pinball-style machines, it offers a fascinating look at the game's roots as a coin-operated amusement.

Play cost 5 cents per ball. Rather than a crank handle, this version used a dial handle at the front to lift the ball into play, which players then launched using a small "throwing device" (a vertical plunger). Landing the ball in the top center hole paid out a dollar prize. Thirteen scoring troughs lined the bottom of the playfield: seven paid between 10 cents and 50 cents, while six paid nothing at all - a payout-based structure rather than a modern points system.

The cabinet held a magazine of 500 balls, dispensing one per play; played balls collected in a separate area rather than recycling automatically, so once all 500 had been used, the operator had to manually move them back into the supply magazine. This labor-intensive design highlights how much manual maintenance early coin machines demanded before automatic ball returns became standard.