I've been working on a new series.
Like an old teabag I've been steeped in research since the first of the
year, and just learned about Sunday houses.
A Sunday house was a small second dwelling located next to a church. These
houses were built by devout German farmers and ranchers who lived in the Texas
Hill Country.
Originally, German settlements were laid out as farm communities and
farmers were given town lots. They were expected to live in town and drive out
to their farms or ranches to work. Soon farmers found it less of a hassle to
live on their distant farms than to travel back and forth each day.
Every Saturday they packed up their families and traveled to town. There
they would purchase supplies, attend to business and, if necessary, receive
medical treatment.
Saturday nights was a
time to socialize and this generally included a dance. They would then spend
the night at their Sunday houses and attend church the following morning. Families
would return to farms or ranches on after church on Sunday or wait till Monday.
Wood-framed Sunday houses were small and usually had only one and half
rooms. Gabled attics where children slept were reached from outside staircases. The pitched roofs were made from handmade
cypress shingles and the windows and woodwork embellished with mill work. The first floor had a lean-to kitchen and
covered porch. A fireplace provided
warmth and cooking facilities, but there was no running water.
These second dwellings fell out of favor in the 1920s. Improved roads and the automobile made Sunday
houses no longer necessary. Fortunately, many of these charming tiny houses
still exist in Gillespie
County.
Now if I could just figure out how to work a Sunday house into my story….
If you had a Sunday
house, where would it be located?
New, new, new!
Cowboy Charm School
(The Haywire Brides)
When buying a horse,
don't consult a pedestrian.
When courting a woman
don't ask advice of a bachelor.
I love the idea of a Sunday house, but for me it would be a vacation house! I would have it as close to the ocean or lake as possible. Love the idea!
ReplyDeleteHi Connie, mine would be close to the ocean, too. We'd be neighbors!
DeleteThat's really interesting! I would love a Sunday house, somewhere in the woods by a large pond. I can dream right?
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely! It's fun to dream. Love the idea of a little house in the woods.
DeleteHi Margaret, I never heard of Sunday houses before! They're so cute. If I had one, it would be at the beach. By the way, the house with the green roof (above) looks like my grandmother's, only hers was twice as big and not a Sunday house.
ReplyDeleteHi Marilyn, yes, they are cute. Strange as it seems, small houses are coming back in style. I recently heard on the news that tiny homes (less than 500 sq.ft) are appreciating faster than larger homes. Hard to imagine living in such tiny houses.
DeleteI learned about Sunday Houses when we visited Fredericksburg, TX. There are still some standing. It sure is a unique part of history. I agree, that if I had one, it would be near the ocean.
ReplyDeleteVickie, I hope you took photos. Looks like the beach is a favorite.
ReplyDeleteHi Margaret, I had never heard of Sunday houses! What a wonderful way to be part of a community. I take it that each family had their own Sunday house. Seems like a great idea. And the modern "tiny homes" would fit the bill perfectly.
ReplyDelete