Welcome to Jefferson Manor

When I was in high school, a US Government teacher once told me that popular perceptions of US history, which assign a single word to each decade, are grossly inaccurate. Nowhere is this more so the case than when it comes to home construction. The house that I live in was built in the year 1942, which is typically associated with World War II and the Battle of Midway. But we live far away from the Midway Islands in the Pacific Ocean. A more likely explanation that was offered for the origins of my house was that it heralded the period of cultural conformity and suburban expansion that characterized the 1950s, with its roots in New Deal programs that were still in place when it was built.

Whatever the reason behind its construction, there are several details in relation to it that still have an effect to this day. A couple of days ago, I began the slow process of repairing the backyard deck, which was starting to come undone as the screws that held together the planks were rusting. It may seem surprising that exterior wood decks were held together using non-weatherproof nails, but the explanation soon became clear after a little bit of thought. If it was indeed the case that the house was constructed in the early 1940s as part of government programs to provide affordable housing for working-class Americans, then it is also very likely that the construction materials were donated by local construction companies. Lest we forget, this was a period when a sense of patriotic duty led housewives to leave their homes and work on assembly lines that were converted to produce supplies for the war effort.

This holiday season, as I take time off to spend with family, I will try to be mindful of the events and processes that came together and led to the construction of my family's home. It is simple and easy to complain that the house is draughty and lacks storage space. It is infinitely more rewarding, however, to make the place I live better a little bit at a time.