Building Legacies for Over 100 Years
Ward Cedar Log Home was founded in Maine in 1923 and helped pioneer the pre-cut log home industry in the United States. More than a century later, our role is still the same: helping families create a cedar log home that fits the way they live.
We build with Northern White Cedar, manufactured in Houlton, Maine, and work closely with homeowners and builders to make the process clearer from the first idea to delivery.
At Ward, we live by one simple truth: Our Past. Your Future.
Our Story: Where Tradition Meets Legacy
What began with one cedar cabin in 1923 helped shape an entire industry. Bruce Ward was a lumberman who loved the warmth, character, and simplicity of log homes. In the heart of Northern Maine, Ward built his first cabin. He was not trying to start a company. He simply appreciated the wood, the look, and the way a log home felt.
Bruce Ward’s journey began when a telegraph company contracted him to provide cedar utility poles, valued for their strength and resistance to decay. Drawn to the beauty and resilience of Northern White Cedar, Bruce selected the finest poles, cut them into manageable lengths, notched them, and assembled a cozy lakeside cabin for himself. This simple project soon attracted the attention of neighbors and friends, who asked Bruce to build one for them. Bruce had just created the first log home package in history without knowing it.
As demand grew, Bruce’s ingenuity shone through. He developed a revolutionary interlocking milling technique that would later be known as the tongue-and-groove method of log joinery. With this advancement, the pre-cut, pre-packaged log home industry was born.
In 1955, the company – known as Ward Cabin Company – moved its entire operation to a new, larger facility in Houlton, Maine. Improvements in engineering standards catapulted Ward into mainstream American housing.
Today, Ward Cedar Log Homes has built more than 10,000 homes, log cabins, and commercial buildings across the United States and beyond. We still build with Northern White Cedar. We still manufacture in Houlton, and we still believe a log home should fit the way you live.
Our pioneering advancements in log home technology, such as the Comfort System-5™ log wall system, ensure that every home is built to stand the test of time, carrying with it the stories, traditions, and memories that make a house a home.
Your Legacy Starts Here
If you’re ready to take the next step, we’d love to help you sort through ideas, plans, and what comes next. Let’s build something your family will be proud of for years to come. Start building your legacy.
Company Overview
Nestled in Houlton, Maine our corporate offices and manufacturing plant are in the heart of white cedar country. Since 1923, Ward Cedar Log Homes has helped lead the log home industry and is recognized as the nation’s first log home manufacturer.
More than 100 years later, that commitment still shows in the way we design, manufacture, and support every homeowner.
Customer Support That Stays With You
Ward has more than 30 Representatives across the United States, many with more than 25 years of experience. That means you have real support as you plan your log home, make decisions, and move toward construction.
Find your local Ward Representative.
Professional Affiliations
Ward participates in building code standards with the International Code Council (formerly the Building Officials and Code Administration International [BOCA]), and our homes are designed in accordance with the International Residential Codes.
From our Home in Maine to Yours
The great North Woods of Maine is one of the few places east of the Mississippi River where Northern White Cedar grows in abundance. That is why Houlton is such an important part of the Ward story.
Our 35-acre manufacturing facility includes a specialized sawmill and planing mill designed to handle Cedar. Our team manages each step of the process with care, from each log selection to milling to final production. That control helps us maintain quality and consistency from start to finish.
Selected logs first pass through Ward’s state-of-the-art sawmill, which has been designed specifically to handle Northern White Cedar. Each log is cut into a “cant,” a rough-sawn square timber consisting only of cedar’s jewel — its heartwood. We also repurpose remaining wood for trim, railing, paneling, and other uses. Wood that does not meet grade is sold as mulch. Our commitment to sustainability ensures that nothing is wasted.
It's Different With Ward
We are part of a long tradition of craftsmanship in Northern Maine. At Ward, we value quality work, experience, and steady improvement. We continue to adopt new technologies and methods to improve consistency and efficiency, but we never lose sight of the details that matter. Every detail, from rooms, doors, and windows to layouts and how the home goes together, affects how it feels to live in.
When we say it’s different with Ward, we mean it.
Take a look around the site. Reach out anytime, we would be glad to help.
