This West Virginia house was originally a log structure built between 1811 and 1830 with only two rooms and 400 square feet of living space. Wood clapboard siding, the ell, and shed were added later. This house and the I house demonstrate how houses are adapted and remodeled over time, representing different time periods, housing styles, and changing concepts of how families should live in their homes.
The number of people in an average household was much larger in pre-industrial America than today. Six people lived in the average household of free Americans between 1790 and 1840 (Larkin 1988, p. 11). In 2008, the average household had only 2.5 people (U.S. Census).
Photograph of George Judy Farm, Grant County West Virginia, 1933. Historic American Buildings Survey. (Courtesy Library of Congress)