Notice how all the homes in this portfolio had front porches. Front porches used to be a standard feature on American homes, not just those in Appalachia. After working in the yard, the barn or the fields, people used to rest in the shade of the front porch with a cool drink. Sometimes on hot summer nights, they might even sleep on the front porch. Little wonder that so many people from Appalachia who moved to Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood used to congregate on the stoops of their apartment buildings. The front porch was not only a way to relax, it was a way to socialize with anyone who might be walking by. This article contains some interesting thoughts about the rise and decline of the American front porch. They all but disappeared from new homes after World War II. Some people think they used to be a way of linking people with nature. But they lost their appeal when streets became filled with noisy cars. Frankly, I mourn the loss of the front porch.
