1. Cultural Landscape: Folk Housing
AP Human Geography
By Ms. McAlister
Career Center High

2. Cultural Landscape – a characteristic and tangible outcome of the complex interactions between a human group and the natural environment
BUILT LANDSCAPE - an area of land represented by its features and patterns of human occupation and use of natural resources – Geographer Carl Sauer
Cultural Landscape

3. Cultural Geography Two major questions guide this field
How does space, place, and landscape shape culture?
How does culture shape space, place, and landscape?
As you think about food, sport, housing traditions consider these questions.
Don’t forget to view built landscape differently than cultural landscape!
Cultural Geography

4. Folk Housing Buildings erected without architect or blueprint
diffuses slowly through migration
clustered distributions
isolation/lack of interaction breeds uniqueness
According to Jean Brunhes, folk housing is based on the influence of one's environment.

6. Folk Culture: deep connection to environment/sacred space – see note:

7. Iceland

8. Folk Housing
Fred Kniffen said that housing was a good reflection of cultural heritage, fashion, functions and the environment:
Housing is influenced by:
1. building materials available Ex) log cabins, sod homes, adobe homes versus popular housing which will move the material and architecture without emphasis on environment.
2. social /environmental customs of the people
Example: A hogan’s door faces east so that the first rays of the rising sun enter the home.

9. Fred Kniffen identified three hearths (nodes or origins)
Fred Kniffen identified three hearths (nodes or origins). They are New England, Middle Atlantic, Lower Chesapeake.
These homes were created when people arrived in the U.S. to the 1800s. When they migrated they took the style with them (environment providing)
Georgian Style home --→
Folk Housing in the U.S.

11. New England - Saltbox, Two Chimney, Cape Cod, and Front Wing and Gable
New England - Saltbox, Two Chimney, Cape Cod, and Front Wing and Gable. These spread as far as Wisconsin because settled by people from New England. Kitchen in the center or two chimney to spread warmth
Types of Folk Houses

12. What makes it folk? Built from local materials
Built based in a style representative to a historical period or based on a tradition brought from a homeland
Varies greatly from region to region
What makes it folk?

13. Middle Atlantic – I House spread from PA and Delaware to Midwest; also the Swiss German Barn
Lower Chesapeake – Chesapeake Bay, Maryland and Virginia to down the coast. Comprised of one-story with steep roof and chimney at either end. Kitchen in the basement or under topsoil for keeping cool

14. Salt Box House

15. Two Chimney
Chimney two flume for double side keep warmth spread throughout or some actually had two single flume chimneys.

16. Cape Cod

17. Colonial Cape Cod

18. Front Wing and Gable

19. More front wing and gabled homes

20. Midwest (many New England styles also came to the Midwest due to migration, aka. Relocation diffusion)

21. I-House
Central hallway, THE house to build during western expansion through Illinois, Ohio. Iowa

22. Southern

23. I-House in Aiken, SC

24. Tidewater House in Virginia Beach

25. Shotgun House (Southern Tradition)
Primarily African-American during and after Reconstruction: sharecropping/tenant farming

26. What are housing styles in popular culture like?

27. Distribution of Folk and Popular Housing
U.S. Popular Housing
Since mid-twentieth century, houses display popular culture rather than regional influences.
Most people no longer build their own houses but instead are mass-produced by construction companies.
Houses show the influence of shapes, materials, detailing, and other features of architectural style in vogue at any one point in time.

29. Modern houses you can argue are are folk:

30.
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Further reading…