Area settlements have grown into small, comfortable towns
whose history can be read in their architecture. You can see from its wealth of Federal style homes that Unadilla
Forks enjoyed a building spur in the early 1800s. From its streets you can tell which direction West Winfield has
grown, but you can also tell when the growth occurred by noting Victorian (late 1800's), Colonial Revival and Craftsman
(early 1900's), and ranch or split-level (mid 1900s) housing. All this together with the rolling hills and river
valley surrounding inspires pride of place. It separates our area from those settled sooner or later, from areas
whose main industry was something other than farming, and from areas the glaciers treated differently. And that
is why it is so important to keep the unique structures from the past as a gift for the future.
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Do you like to solve mysteries or unravel puzzles? Discovering the style of a house often takes detective work since our ancestors liked to remodel as much as we do. Many a Federal style house has had a Victorian porch attached in an effort to "update" the exterior. "Train you eye" as to what to look for by studying good examples of a style. A great book on the subject is "A Field Guide to American Houses" by Virginia & Lee McAlester ISBN 0-394-73969-8 (pbk) . Our area contains an abundance of great examples of the styles current when it was growing. Remember the dates for the styles are somewhat relative, as fashions filter in and out of areas at different rates.
Federal, Greek
Victorian Styles - Gothic Revival, Itialianate, Stick, Queen Ann
