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Geo Brown Home. Presque Isle, Maine
Geo. Brown home banked with spruce and storm windowed. Edgar, Dec. 1935.
The house on the farm
"Farmhouses of the 1860's were the monuments of the times and the men who built them. There were houses of sod and adobe and houses of logs, columned plantation houses of brick or clapboard and ornate Victorian houses with fancy fretwork. Variety there was if nothing else, for more than anything they reflected the resources of time, money, skills,…
Home sweet home: the choice is yours, and not just once
"In summary, your final choice in housing often is a matter of balancing personal preference in living against your current social and financial status."
Rural elderly in demographic perspective
"Living conditions of most of the rural elderly are now roughly comparable with those of the urban elderly. The two major differences remaining are in income and health. The proportion of elderly living in poverty is more than half again as great in rural areas as in cities."
Guide to USDA Programs for American Indians and Alaska Natives
"This Guide to USDA Programs for American Indians and Alaska Natives is an updated reference for American Indian and Alaska Native tribal leaders and members, planners, community leaders, producers, and anyone else who works with American Indians on numerous USDA programs. Please use this book often to decide which of our programs will best serve…
Farm Housing Loans
Brochure. USDA Farm housing programs. Includes September 15, 1951 insert for Farm Housing Loan Pamphlet (USDA PA-183). "The Housing Act of 1949 authorizes the Farmers Home Administration to make loans and grants for construction and repair of farm houses and other necessary farm buildings."
Family Expenditures for Housing and Household Operation: Five Regions
"This volume deals with expenditures for housing and household operation of families living in the villages and small cities surveyed by the Bureau of Home Economics as a part of the consumer purchases study. Expenditures of farm families for these consumption items are discussed in another report, Family Expenditures for Housing and Household…
Rural Housing Loans
Brochure. "The Farmers Home Administration, under provisions in Title V of the Housing Act of 1949, as amended, makes rural housing loans. These loans are made to (a) farmowners and (b) owners of nonfarm tracts in rural areas and small rural communities with populations of not more than 2,500."
A Place To Live : Buying Or Repairing a Home With Help From USDA's Single Family Housing Direct Loan Programs
Brochure. "USDA has been helping rural Americans become homeowners since 1949. It has invested well over $54 billion in helping people purchase or build their own homes. USDA Rural Development's Direct Homeownership Loan program offers home loans to lower income individuals who are unable to obtain credit elsewhere, with interest rates as low as…
Building Dreams: The Mutual Self-Help Housing Program
Brochure. Outlines the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Self-Help housing program.
Housing for Senior Citizens
Brochure. "Loans for rental housing for senior citizens in rural areas. The Farmers Home Administration, under Title V of the Housing Act of 1949, as amended in 1962, makes direct and insured loans to provide rental housing in rural areas for senior citizens, 62 years of age or older. These loans fill a housing credit gap in rural areas and offer…
Plan No. 7148: Floor Plan of Solar Shaded Cottage
Blueprint. Plan No. 7148: Floor Plan of Solar Shaded Cottage. Plans, elevation, and sections. Includes Map of the United States With Latitude Grid and Seasonal South angle of the sun at noon for 40° North Latitude.
Plan No. 7148: Solar-type Farm Cottage
Flyer. Cooperative Farm Building Plan Exchange, Plan No. 7148: Solar-type Farm Cottage.
"The interior plan of this cottage is the same as that of Farm Cottage, Plan No. 7157. But the roof and window areas have been redesigned, and projecting fixed trellis shades have been added to the east and west windows. With these changes, the cottage an be…
"The interior plan of this cottage is the same as that of Farm Cottage, Plan No. 7157. But the roof and window areas have been redesigned, and projecting fixed trellis shades have been added to the east and west windows. With these changes, the cottage an be…
Plan No. 7181: 5-Bedroom Rural Dwelling Plans. Blueprint
Blueprint. Plan No. 7181: 5-Bedroom Rural Dwelling. Plans, elevation, and sections.
Plan No. 7181: 5-Bedroom Rural Dwelling
Flyer. Plan No. 7181: 5-Bedroom Rural Dwelling. Cooperative Farm Building Plan Exchange.
"This house, with its traditional New England style, is especially popular in the northeastern and middle eastern parts of the United States. The cost per square foot of living space in a two-story house is less than that in a rambler containing comparable…
"This house, with its traditional New England style, is especially popular in the northeastern and middle eastern parts of the United States. The cost per square foot of living space in a two-story house is less than that in a rambler containing comparable…
Plan No. 7184: 4-Bedroom Rural Dwelling Plans. Blueprint
Blueprint plans, elevation and sections. Plan No. 7184: 4-Bedroom Rural Dwelling.
Plan No. 7184: 4-Bedroom Rural Dwelling
Flyer. Plan No. 7184: 4-Bedroom Rural Dwelling. Cooperative Farm Building Plan Exchange.
"This modern 4-bedroom house, constructed of brick and vertical boarding, was originally designed and built in Arkansas. It has eye appeal and can be constructed at a minimum cost without sacrificing livability."
"This modern 4-bedroom house, constructed of brick and vertical boarding, was originally designed and built in Arkansas. It has eye appeal and can be constructed at a minimum cost without sacrificing livability."
Plan No. 7137: Farm Cottage House Plans - Blueprint
Blueprint Plan No. 7137 for the Farm Cottage. Plan, Elevation, and Sections
Plan No. 7137: Farm Cottage
Flyer. Cooperative Farm Building Plan Exchange. Plan No. 7137 Farm Cottage.
"This small frame cottage represents a practical minimum of both space and cost. It is intended primarily for a young couple starting out on a farm. Later, when the farm business is further developed, it can be used as a tenant house."
"This small frame cottage represents a practical minimum of both space and cost. It is intended primarily for a young couple starting out on a farm. Later, when the farm business is further developed, it can be used as a tenant house."
Plan 7213: Two-Bedroom Farmhouse Blueprints
Actual blueprints for the two-bedroom house. Two pages with detailed drawings. Former USDA Plan No. 7154.
Plan No. 7213: Two-Bedroom Farm House
Flyer. Plan No. 7213: Two-Bedroom Farm House. Cooperative Farm Building Plan Exchange.
"This two-bedroom house is planned primarily for a flat lot. The front faces the street and is intended to be sited with a southern or eastern exposure. The plan is zoned into dining, kitchen, living, and sleeping areas tied together by an excellent interior…
"This two-bedroom house is planned primarily for a flat lot. The front faces the street and is intended to be sited with a southern or eastern exposure. The plan is zoned into dining, kitchen, living, and sleeping areas tied together by an excellent interior…
Model Farmstead, or, Plans for the Farm House
"One should adopt a plan for the grounds. When a man builds a new house he has a plan carefully drawn up. This avoids mistakes and waste. When completed he has the results he wishes. In the same way a plan should be carefully worked out for all plantings. Then make the planting each spring a part of the plan. The following discussion is intended as…
The House: Its Plan, Decoration and Care
Text Book Edition.
"As the home is so inseparably connected with the house and as our comfort and efficiency are so greatly influenced by the kind of houses in which we live, much of interest and importance centers in the study of "The House". Moreover, with the house, its evolution, decoration, and care may be associated much that is…
"As the home is so inseparably connected with the house and as our comfort and efficiency are so greatly influenced by the kind of houses in which we live, much of interest and importance centers in the study of "The House". Moreover, with the house, its evolution, decoration, and care may be associated much that is…
Farmhouse plans
"The Farmhouse Plans presented in this bulletin were developed in connection with the Farm Housing Survey made in the spring of 1934 by the United States Department of Agriculture and the agricultural colleges of 46 States, with funds provided by the Civil Works Administration. These plans were selected from more than 100 prepared..."
DS-2. How Do Farm People Live in Comparison with City People?
"This pamphlet is the second of the materials prepared for the assistance of rural discussion groups in 1936-37 through the cooperation of the Extension Service and the Agricultural Adjustment Administration of the U. S. Department of Agriculture." (Photographs by Resettlement Administration and Works Progress Administration.)
A Farm House: Farm Housing Project : House "A", scheme 1 & 2
Graphic blueprint. Two schematic views of a farm house "A"
Housing credit : a rural-urban comparison
"Home mortgage credit is less available in rural areas than in urban. The major reason is the limited number of savings and loans (S&L's) operating in rural areas. Banks are the major source of housing credit in rural areas whereas S&L's are most active in metro areas. In 1975, the per capita amount of housing loans held by banks, S&L's, and…
Status of rural housing in the United States
"The data for 1960 and earlier years are from the 1960 U.S. Census of Housing, except where otherwise indicated. These are the most recent data available since the housing censuses are taken at 10-year intervals. Although the data are several years old, they are basic in portraying current housing conditions. About 80 to 90 percent of the housing…
Residential preferences and rural development policy
"Since 1970, fewer people have been moving to the city, and increased numbers have been moving to rural (nonmetropolitan) America. Now, this new growth is bringing changes in rural land use, infrastructural development, social and medical services, and impacts on rural environment and ecology.
In this article, we review these changes and discuss…
In this article, we review these changes and discuss…
National and rural housing policy : historical development and emerging issues
"Since rural America has become much more like urban America in the last 50 years, it is hardly surprising that the housing problems of rural America are much the same as those facing urban America. Nevertheless, there are differences between rural and urban areas in the comparative importance of these problems. For example, more houses in rural…
Mobile homes a viable alternative in rural America
"Mobile homes are about as satisfactory in terms of quality as conventional homes according to owners with comparable incomes. Since mobile homes are less expensive than most conventional housing, they seem assured of a market niche, especially in rural areas, which usually have fewer zoning restrictions on their use."
The mobile home--creative solution to a challenge
"During the decade of the sixties the mobile home came into its own and now monopolizes the moderate cost home ownership market. The conditions that fostered establishment of the mobile home as a full-fledged legitimate member of the American housing scene were primarily population growth and inflation. The key, however, is the ability of people to…
Rural housing : trends and prospects
"The quality of rural housing has improved markedly since World War II; from 38 percent standard in 1950 to 67 percent in 1960 and nearly 80 percent in 1968. Rural housing has shared in the general upgrading of housing which resulted from the postwar building boom. New construction and renovation has exceeded new household formations by a wide…
25 years of housing progress in rural America
"U.S. housing conditions improved markedly from 1950 to 1975, especially in nonmetropolitan areas: nonmetro homeownership increased from 60 to 72 percent; the proportion occupying substandard units declined from 59 to 8 percent; crowded conditions declined from 19 to 6 percent; the percentage occupying centrally heated homes rose from 23 to 58…
Rural and urban housing, 1930-80
"During 1930-80, the number of urban households increased about five times as fast as the number of rural households. Home ownership increased in both areas, but was more prevalent in rural areas. More blacks and other minorities lived in urban areas and owned their homes in 1980 compared with 1930. Rural housing has traditionally lagged urban…
Housing needs and preferences of farm families : a comparison of data from studies in four regions
"During recent years there has been a growing awareness, both among agencies interested in rural welfare and among farm families, of the need for improving rural housing. When funds for research on problems of rural families were made available by the Research and Marketing Act of 1946, housing was one of the problems selected for study by home…
Housing loans lead to new communities
"Rayburn Hills is a modest little community of about 150 low-income families and their homes averaged less than $10,000. It is the creation of the rural credit service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture in cooperation with one of the Nation's largest corporations. This is the story of that creation. In July of 1968, U.S. Plywood Champion Papers…
Cooperative Housing for Rural America
"A housing cooperative is a form of home ownership in which people join to form a cooperative corporation which owns the building in which they live."
2016 USDA Resource Guide for American Indians & Alaska Natives
"The USDA Resource Guide for American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/AN) was developed to provide tribal leaders and tribal citizens, 1994 Land-Grant Tribal Colleges and Universities, AI/AN businesses, and non-governmental organizations serving AI/AN communities with a tool for navigating USDA resources. The USDA programs and services available to…
Native American Housing: Additional Actions Needed to Better Support Tribal Efforts
"Conference Report 112-284 mandates that GAO study tribal housing challenges. Building on past work that raised discussion about some challenges, this report examines common housing challenges tribes face and actions that could address them. GAO interviewed HUD and other agencies, a tribal advocacy group, and 23 tribal entities that were selected…
Collaborating for Prosperity with American Indians and Alaska Natives: Programs for Tribal Families, Children, and Communities
"USDA Rural Development places a high value on our relationship with American Indians and Alaska Natives, and we are committed to expanding outreach and services throughout Indian Country and Alaska. We are collaborating and partnering with tribes to realize a brighter future for families, children, and communities. Through loans, grants, and…
American Indians in transition
"The American Indian population is in a period of transition. It is young, growing, and becoming more urban. There were some improvements in income, housing, education, and health in the 1960-70 decade, but Indians remain the most disadvantaged of the minority ethnic groups in the United States. By most of the above measures, Indians, especially…
Housing the worker on the farm
"If the prospective farm worker can be shown conclusively that pleasant living quarters and conditions are offered to him and an opportunity given to secure his food at a low cost, he will give these points full weight in considering a move to the farm.
The illustrations accompanying this article show two designs of family houses and two of bunk…
The illustrations accompanying this article show two designs of family houses and two of bunk…
Housing for seasonal farm workers : designs and design suggestions
"...housing for farm labor is being viewed as one of the integral costs of commercial farming with the result that adequate living quarters are receiving greater consideration as a means of attracting and keeping labor. Housing codes applicable to quarters for migrant farm workers have been extended and are being more strictly enforced. Thirty…
Housing for migrant agricultural workers
"Good housing contributes much to the health and well-being of migrant agricultural workers and their families and is important in maintaining community health. It has a beneficial effect on efficiency of the workers and is one requirement for a stable labor force. An employer who offers good housing has a greater chance of attracting better…
Housing migrant workers
A series of hearings was held in 1970 by a subcommittee of the Senate. "The hearings established that for too long there has not been enough emphasis on decent, healthful, sanitary, and adequate housing for migrant workers."
Multi-unit retirement housing for rural areas : a guide to design considerations for architects, engineers, and builders
"This information is presented as a guide to design considerations for architects, engineers, and builders in the field of multi-unit retirement housing in rural areas. Plans are given for one- and two bedroom units that can be combined into multi-unit housing. In addition, the basic space requirements of the various rooms are shown, so that other…
Rental housing aids the rural aging, others
"Through USDA's Farmers Home Administration, Federal loans are available to provide rental and cooperatively-owned housing in rural areas for senior citizens, 62 years of age or older, for other rural residents, and for low to moderate income urban residents who work in a rural area."
Housing of the rural elderly
"The elderly, especially the rural elderly, are more likely to have housing problems than other groups. The number of rural elderly households increased 16 percent between 1974 and 1979 compared with an increase of only 10 percent for all U.S. households. In 1979, 15 percent of U.S. rural elderly heads of household lived in inadequate housing…
Selecting and financing a home
"For the prospective home buyer, there are suggestions on how to locate a house and judge its location and neighborhood. Information is also included on the different types of home mortgage loans, the sources of mortgage loans, and applying for loans. Some possible ways to reduce the cost of a home mortgage loan are also shown."
What can a family afford to spend for its housing?
"A clear knowledge as to source of funds needed for housing expense will be rewarding."
Building that dream house: Don't be caught napping
"...building a new home is a big job, requiring much time, many decisions, and a lot of hard work. The challenge, however, can be fun and rewarding if you approach the job in a logical, sensible manner..."
Comforts and conveniences in farmers' homes
"Not every farmer is in a financial position to provide all the conveniences mentioned in this paper, but many of these devices and arrangements can be had at very little cost, their introduction depending largely on ability to adapt the materials at hand to the improvement of general home conditions."
Better housing in the country
"The families who have adequate financial means will be able to keep pace with the ever increasing levels of housing comfort and convenience. A continuing challenge, however, will be how rural families at the lower levels of income will be able to obtain at least minimum adequate housing. A realization of their hopes for better housing is related…
A complex of factors determines our family housing requirements
"Housing now being provided no longer stems from traditional wisdom and skills. Therefore, as a nation we should make every effort to improve the fit between housing needs and structures."
A man's home must give more than shelter
"...housing all Americans in a social environment that provides the best of the physical, social, and psychological worlds."
Better Homes in America
Guidebook for the Better Homes Campaigns and Better Homes Week, April 25 to May 1, 1926. Introductory Letter by President Calvin Coolidge.
Farmhouse Research Athens, GA
Chart of Farmhouse Research - Athens, GA. Results of Winter tests conducted in cooperation with the Univ. of Ga. In the typical southern farmhouse like those shown prove that in cold weather they are hard to heat uniformly.
New farmhouse framing Loganville, Georgia
R.E. Brooks New Farm house. View of farming. M. Simons. 1/21/42.
New Farmhouse Eatonton, Georgia
Eatonton, Georgia New farm house costs about $2,000. J.R.Dodge, June 1935.
Shot Gun House Melville, Louisiana
Shot Gun house - opposite Carnahans, Melville, Louisiana MS flood control. Miller. 1930.
Habbardston, Michigan Home
Home of Sam Langdon, Habbardston, Michigan See report of survey in Ohio and Southern Michigan 1932.
Texas - Farm No. 3 - Collingsworth County
A photo of a farmhouse in Texas. “The Martin L. Mosher Manuscript is a seven-volume manuscript titled "Farmstead Pictures of the United States of North America at the Middle of the Twentieth Century" (1965).
Tennessee - Farm No. 13-Davidson County
A photo of a farmhouse from Tennessee. "The Martin L. Mosher Manuscript is a seven-volume manuscript titled "Farmstead Pictures of the United States of North America at the Middle of the Twentieth Century" (1965).
MINNESOTA-Farm No. 3-Polk Country
A photo of a farmhouse from Minnesota. "The Martin L. Mosher Manuscript is a seven-volume manuscript titled "Farmstead Pictures of the United States of North America at the Middle of the Twentieth Century" (1965).
United States Department of Agriculture : Federal Civil Works Administration : Farm Housing Project : House "A", scheme 1 & 2
Architectural design of farmhouses design by Thompson from Department Agricultural Engineering, Extension Division, Virginia Polytechnic Institute, in Blacksburg, Virginia, for United States Department of Agriculture and Federal Civil Works Administration, Farm Housing Project.
Guidebook of Better Homes in America: how to organize the 1926 campaign: Better homes week, April 25 to May 1, 1926
How to organize the 1926 campaign.
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