"SHOTGUN" STYLE 1830-1880

    The "Shotgun" style of housing is usually associated with the American South. This style was efficient and inexpensive. The Shotgun Style is a single story structure with a narrow gabled roof. This style usually is contained three or four rooms. The term "shotgun" style is derived from a design that makes it possible to shoot straight through a house! It is more likely that this term originated from the West African word "To-Gan" (meaning "meeting house").