January 16, 2019

Struggling to Heat Our Homes

Keeping a warm home has been a struggle in most of America since the 1600s, with home heating only becoming a routine convenience in the 20th century. This article goes from primitive hearths to fireplaces, iron cookstoves, coal furnaces, and finally to central heating summoned at the flick of a switch. This is the first of several "History of Our Homes" articles I've done for A Simple Life, where readers can learn the historical challenges to many household matters we now take for granted. 


Winter 2018