Farm House

Farm House. . After the Civil War, the "shotgun house" was one of the most popular styles of homes in the rural South. Lore said that a bullet could pass from the front to the back door without hitting anything. Simple, narrow wooden construction and an open floorplan kept it cool in the summer. heat from woodstoves flowed throughout the house during cooler months., Spick and Span , It was important to keep a clean farmhouse. Dirty areas attracted unwanted pests and could make people sick. The unfinished floors were swept often. If kitchen grease accumulated, rooms would be scrubbed with warm water and lye soap using a corn husk mop., Born and raised , Some farm families spent their whole lives in one home. children were born, sick were used and families passed. Sharecropper families often found themselves moving frequently, sometimes seasonally in either case, after working all day in the fields, a hot meal at the family table and a warm bed was a haven for everyone., Porch music , During the heat of summer, the wood stove kept indoor temperatures high well into the evening. The porch was an important living space. Families would play games, shell beans and play music together and in some cases move their bedrooms out to the porch., wood heat , Internal heat was provided by a cook stove in the kitchen and a wood stove in the living room or "parlor"., When company comes calling , Unexpected guests, like distant family or "traveling preachers" sometimes needed a place to sleep., with no rooms available the porch provided a roofed space in warmer months. In winter a guest might sleep under the large farm table in the kitchen, taking advantage of the open space and the residual heat of the cook stove., Waste not, want not , Little went to waste on the farm, in the 1930s sugar and flour sacks were made of soft cotton printed in bright colors and patterns. Families used these along with their worn-out clothes to make war, unique family quilts. The mattresses were typically filled with corn shuck, cotton, or feathers., Cozy bedrooms , Small spaces were easier to heat. Parents sleep in one room and multiple children huddled together in the spare bedroom., Potty Time , With no internal plumbing, the outhouse was the main bathroom. A chamber pot was by the bed for nighttime emergencies.