HOW THE WORKING CLASS HOME BECAME MODERN

WITH PROFESSOR THOMAS HUBKA

In 1900, the average American family still lived by kerosene light, ate in their kitchen, and used an outhouse. In 1940, electric lights, dining rooms, and bathrooms were the norm as the traditional working-class home was fast becoming modern. This lecture will tell the story of how average Americans, including Granite Staters, transformed their typical dwellings from a primitive, premodern home life into an industrialized, modern domesticity–a transformation without precedent, either before or after, in American history. Come hear Professor Hubka's telling of how a "middle majority" of Americans first obtained  modern domestic improvements at the beginning of the 20th century. 

About the Speaker…

Thomas Hubka earned his Bachelor's degree in Architecture from Carnegie-Mellon University and Master's degree from the University of Oregon. His publications include Big House, Little House; Back House Barn: The Connected Farm Buildings of New England; Resplendent Synagogue: Architecture and Worship in an 18th Century Polish Community; and Houses without Names: Architecture Nomenclature and the Classification of America's Common Houses. His newest book is entitled The Transformation of Working-Class Houses and Domesticity, 1890-1940: Improved Homes for a New Middle Class. Hubka's research primarily interprets the historic development and relationships between architecture/buildings and culture/people. 

This program is sponsored by the Woodstock History Center. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of the Woodstock History Center or its partners.