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Most of the early houses built in America were suited to
farm life, as it was not until cities became manufacturing centers that
colonists could survive without farming as their major occupation. Among the
earliest farmhouses in America were those built in Plymouth Colony.
Generally they consisted of one large rectangular room on the ground floor,
called a hall or great room and having a fireplace built into one of the
walls, and a loft overhead. Sometimes a lean-to was attached alongside the
house to store objects such as spinning wheels, firewood, barrels, and tubs.
The furnishings in the great room were sparse and crudely built. Tabletops
and chest boards were split or roughly sawed and often smoothed only on one
side. Benches took the place of chairs, and the table usually had a trestle
base so it could be dismantled when extra space was required. One or two
beds and a six-board chest were located in one corner of the room. The
fireplace was used for heat and light, and a bench often placed nearby for
children and elders, in the area called the inglenook.
The original houses in Plymouth Colony were erected
within a tall fence for fortification. However, by 1630 Plymouth Colony had
250 inhabitants, most living outside the enclosure. By 1640, settlements had
been built some distance from the original site. Villages began to emerge
throughout Massachusetts and farmhouses were less crudely built. Windows
brought light into homes and the furnishings and décor were more
sophisticated.
As more diversified groups of immigrants settled the
country, a greater variety of farmhouses appeared, from Swedish long-style
houses in the Delaware Valley to saltbox houses in Connecticut,
Dutch-Flemish stone farmhouses in New York, and clapboard farmhouses in
Pennsylvania. From Georgian characteristics to Greek revival elements,
farmhouses of varied architectural styles and building functions populated
the landscape of the new frontier.
1) The main idea of the passage is
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