Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses Graduate School 1935 Folk Houses of Northern Alabama. Eugene Murphey Wilson Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses Recommended Citation Wilson, Eugene Murphey, "Folk Houses of Northern Alabama." (1935). LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses. 1628. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses/1628 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses by an authorized administrator of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. This dissertation has beon 70-275 microfilmed exactly as received WILSON, Eugene Murphey, 1931- FOLK HOUSES OF NORTHERN ALABAMA. The Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, Ph.D., 1969 Anthropology University Microfilms, Inc., Ann Arbor, Michigan FOLK HOUSES OF NORTHERN ALABAMA. A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in The Department of Geography and Anthropology by Eugene Murphey Wilson B.S., University of Alabama, 1960 M.S., Louisiana State University, 1962 May, 1969 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I wish to express my gratitude to Professor Fred B. Kniffen for his guidance during the course of this project. His suggestions, time, and inspiration, particularly during the initial and concluding phases of the work, made possible its completion. To my wife and family for their years of patience, encouragement, and support in countless ways, I give my most sincere thanks. I also wish to thank the following individuals for their help in the completion of this study: Mrs. Catherine T. Jones, Mrs. Shirley M. Baird, and Mrs. Thomas A. Simpson. I am very grateful to professors Douglas E, Jones and W. Gary Hooks for their support in making available facilities for research. I am also indebted to the late Dr. Roland M. Harper for his collection of photographs made during the first half of this century which I used as a reference collection for rural life in Alabama. X am most grateful to those many kind people who gave me their time and knowledge and generously allowed me to study their homes. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter I. INTRODUCTION....................................... I Methods ........................ I Major Physical Divisions .......................... 4 Settlement ....................................... 9 First Settlements........................ 9 Immigration into Alabama............ 10 M i g r a t i o n .......... 13 Regional Composition............... 15 II. LOG HOUSE CONSTRUCTION Early House T y p e s ................................ 19 Pioneer House Construction ....................... 19 Post-Pioneer House Construction .................. 20 III. EVOLUTION OF FOLK HOUSE T Y P E S ....................... 54 Basic House T y p e s ................................ 55 Measurements of Folk H o u s e s ....................... 58 Single Pen Log Houses ................... 59 Dogtrot Houses ................................. 72 First Generation.............................. 73 Second Generation ............................ 80 Third Generation.............. 82 Summary of Dogtrot House Generations ............ 98 Double Fen H o u s e s .............................. 100 Saddlebag Houses ................................ 109 "I" H o use s............ 116 IV. DISTRIBUTION OF FOLK HOUSE T Y P E S ........ 122 Single Pen House Distribution ..................... 129 Dogtrot House Distribution ........ ......... 131 Double Pen House Distribution ..................... 131 Saddlebag House Distribution ..... 133 "I" House Distribution ............................ 133 Pyramidal-Roof House Distribution ..... ......... 137 Bungalow House Distribution ....................... 140 Distribution of Folk House T ypes ............... 142 iii Chapter V. ORIGIN OF FOLK HOUSES............................. 154 Development In A m e r i c a .......................... 154 The Origin of Two T r a d i t i o n s .......... 154 The Origin of Folk House Types in the Upland S o u t h ................................. 163 The Single Pen H o u s e ............................ 163 The Dogtrot H o u s e .......... 165 Other Double House T y p e s ................... 168 The "I" H o u s e ........................ 170 The Pyramidal-Roof H o u s e ...................... 175 The Bungalow House .......................... 179 European Antecedents ........................ 179 VI. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS............................ 202 Summary ................................. 202 Conclusions................. 209 APPENDIX . .......................................... 212 BIBLIOGRAPHY ......... 223 iv LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1. Study Area Single Pen Log House D a t a ................ 60 2. Study Area Single Pen Log House D a t a ................ 61 3. Single Log Pen Measurements, Outside Study Area.... 63 4. Single Log Pen, Outside Study A r e a ............... 70 5. All Single Log Pen Measurements: Averages and Ranges . 71 6. First Generation Dogtrot House Measurements ......... 74 7. First Generation Dogtrot House Data ................ 76 8. First Generation Dogtrot House Data ................ 79 9. Second Generation Dogtrot House Data ..... ....... 83 10. Second Generation Dogtrot House D a t a ............ 84 11. Second Generation Dogtrot House D a t a ............ 85 12. Third Generation Dogtrot House Measurements ........ 93 13. Third Generation Dogtrot House Data ............... 94 14. Third Generation Dogtrot House Data ............... 95 15. Summary of Dogtrot House Measurements, All Generations..................................101 16. Summary of Door Measurements, All T y p e s .......... 102 17. Double Pen House Data (Alabama and Non-Alabama) .... 103 18. Double Pen House D a t a .......................... 105 19. Log Saddlebag House Data (Alabama and Non-Alabama) . , . 110 v Table Page 20. Frame Saddlebag House Data (Alabama and Non-Alabama). Ill 21. Saddlebag House Da t a ......................... 112 22. "I" House D a t a ................................. 118 vi LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Figure Page 1. Area of S t u d y ................................... 2 2. Physical D i v i s i o n s .......... 7 3. Pioneer House Roof T y p e .......................... 22 4. Typical Roof Structure of North Alabama Log H o u s e s ....................................... 23 5. Typical Floor Structure of North Alabama Log H o u s e s ....................................... 23 6. Abraham Lincoln Traditional Birthplace House ...... 24 7. Sided Log Dogtrot House with Rock P i e r s ............ 28 8. Piers and Chimney Base Showing E r o s i o n ............ 28 9. V-Corner on Hewn Log s ................ .......... 32 10. V-Corner on Partly Hewn L o g s ..................... 33 11. V-Corner on Partly Hewn L o g s ...................... 33 12. V-Corner on Round Logs . • . 33 13. V-Corner on Round L o g s ............. .. .......... 33 14. Diamond Corner ................................. 34 15. Half-Dovetail Corner on Hewn Plank-Shaped Logs .... 35 16. Half-Dovetail Corner on Split Plank-Shaped Logs .... 36 17. Variety of the Half-Dovetail Corner, Front View . 37 18. Variety of the Half-Dovetail Corner, Side View .... 37 19. Half-Dovetail Corner Cut with a Pattern............ 37 vii Figure Page 20. Half-Dovetail Corner on Split Yellow Poplar L o g s ................................ 21. Square Corner .......................... 38 22. HaIf-Notch Corner ....................... 39 23. U- or Saddle Corner ..................... 24. Building a Log Barn ..................... .... 41 25. Completed Log Barn ..................... .... 41 26. Chinked and Daubed Log Wall .............. 27. Pegged Door Framing ............. .... 43 28. Sandstone Ashlar Chimney Enclosed at Eave . .... 46 29. Limestone Ashlar Chimney ................ 30. Fieldstone Chimney ..................... .... 47 31. Mud-and-Grass Chimney . .............. .... 48 32. Mud-and-Board Chimney ................... .... 48 33. Stick-and-Mud Chimney ................... 34. Mud and Stick-Frame Chimney .............. .... 48 35. Ironstone Chimney ....................... 36. Brick Chimney .......................... 37. Brick Chimney............ ............ .... 49 38. Ironstone and Brick Chimney , . ........... ’."*Vv- --49 39. Gable Supports ......................... 40. Typical Roof Structure ................. 41. Single Pen Log House of Half-Dovetail Tradition ............................ 42. Single Pen Log House of V-Corner Tradition . viii Figure Page 43. Story-and-a-half Single Pen Log House, 66 Tennessee................................ 44. Story-and-a-half Single Pen Log House with Upper Window ................................. 66 45. One Story Single Pen Frame House in the Alabama Coastal Plain ................................. 67 46. One Story Single Pen Frame House in the Alabama Coastal Plain ................................. 67 47. Story-and-a-HaIf Single Pen Frame House, Kentucky ............. ... 68 48. Story-and-a-Half Single Pen Frame House, Northern Alabama .............................. 68 49. First Generation Dogtrot House .............. 77 50. First Generation Dogtrot House .................... 77 51. First Generation Dogtrot H o u s e ......... 78