When colonists first settled in the new world, they threw up wigwam-like structures for immediate shelter. As the winters progressed, however, they found these structures inadequate to protect against the cold.

The first cottages built were built according to English traditions, a single room with a heavy wooden frame. The gaps in the frame were filled with “wattle and daub”, a combination of twigs and mud plaster. The roofs were thatched, there were few windows, and the room was heated by a single large fireplace. This design, although stronger than the original structures, proved too sensitive to the weather. The colonists fixed this by covering the frame with narrow clapboards and split shingles.

As designs grew more complex, cottages held two rooms, with a large fireplace in the middle for heat. Sometimes upper floors were added, and they extended out beyond the first-floor walls on either side of the house. “Saltbox” houses were similar, generally with an enlargement of a lean-to addition, used as a pantry, a kitchen, or sometimes an additional bedroom.

PARSON CAPEN HOUSE, MA, 1683
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As the American economy grew, the colonists in turn displayed increasing wealth. They used this wealth to better their houses. The new style of architecture was dubbed “Georgian” architecture, named for King George. Most of these mansions were built between 1720 and 1760. The new Georgian houses were made of brick or sometimes painted wood (few houses were painted in the 1700s). Instead of restricting themselves to a single fireplace in the middle of the house, colonists put two fireplaces, one on each end, or four fireplaces, one in each corner. This allowed for larger houses, more rooms, and better heating.

Georgian houses were also much more decorative than their predecessors. Windows were many and made of glass, balustrades were added around roofs, and Corinthian columns ornamented doors.

ISAAC ROYALL HOUSE, MA, 1733
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Churches in this day were very simple. They much resembled the early cottages made by the settlers, with a square or nearly square shape, and a single room.