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There was a time not so long ago that residents of the Ohio Valley did not feel the need to lock their doors. In fact, many homeowners installed screens on their windows and screen doors at the front and back of their homes.
This was to allow the free flow of air in the pre- and post-World War II built homes that did not include the luxury of whole house air conditioning. Some of the beautiful Victorian style homes had oversized windows and glass porch doors for the same reason.
The hot, humid summers of this region prompted residents to use any means possible to stay cool without air conditioning. Hammocks strung between the many large trees in neighborhoods created a temporary swinging respite from the heat.
Kids begged to "sleep under the stars" via backyard tents or tree houses. Even a back or side porch could be fitted with a comfortable lounge chair that invited a nap on a sleepy, hot afternoon or overnight. There was no fear of danger other than a stray cat or raccoon tipping over the garbage can.
All the while, doors and windows remain unlocked, open to the hope for a cooling nighttime breeze. An evening walk through any neighborhood would show the importance of porch sitting to avoid the inside heat of the houses. With all those open windows, it was easy to smell tonight's dinner menu at the various homes.
From Chester to Sistersville, Steubenville to Powhatan and everywhere in between the Ohio Valley is a gold mine of architectural delights. Each area is as unique as the next.
There are many examples of "shotgun houses" in our valley. These are single story homes constructed in long, narrow layouts. Rooms are built one behind the other with each room opening into the other and only partial walls located between the rooms.
Doors were located at the front and back of the houses allowing for the natural flow of air. The name shotgun came from the idea that a bullet shot through the front door could exit through the back door without striking anything in between. There are some great examples of this construction on McColloch Street in the Friendly City.
Times have certainly changed since the advent of air conditioning. We now can live in comfort in our hermetically sealed homes. But with the closed doors and windows, we've lost that personal interaction of stoop sitting, backyard sprinklers and conversations about the heat shared with neighbors over a glass of cold lemonade.
I guess that's called progress, but I'm not so sure.
Heather Ziegler can be reached via email at hziegler@theintelligencer.net.