The Colonial house (c.1700 - present) is an American adaptation of the English "Cotswold" or Free holder's cottage. In its earlier version, the Cotswold had an open fire pit inside the house and the smoke would find its own way out through the thatched roof. The fire room was on one end of the house so the residents could keep warm in the loft but still be away from the smoke.
As the Colonial design spread out from the earliest American villages, the typical features were of a house 1-1/2 or 2-storys tall with approximately a 45 degree roof pitch, narrow eaves (for shedding snow) and a narrow front-to-back so every room could be well lighted by the windows. The windows were small pane double hung with no frivolous ornamentation and had shutters. The doors were also plain and utilitarian. The walls were almost always clapboard or wooden shingles.Source: RealGoodToys.com
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