This exceptional double-pen farmhouse in northwestern Dooly County, featuring a shed room at the rear, is a highly stylized example of the form. Queen Anne porch posts give the house its distinct appearance, and the floor-to-ceiling windows and transom are unusual features for such a small house.
Valerie Bodrey writes: This is my family’s house, the Bodreys. There used to be a kitchen off the back of it connected by a walkway, as I hear was common back then. My dream is to refurbish this gem. You’ll find me swinging on the front porch every time I visit home.
Inside is a hallway down the center. The double doors open into that one hallway (not a separate entry, just 2 doors for width when needed). There are 4 rooms, one of which became the new kitchen after the detached one was gone. Plus the little add-on room at the back & back porch.
Thanks to Tony Cantrell for making me aware of this gem.
Hi! So lovely to see this article. This is my family’s house, the Bodreys.
There used to be a kitchen off the back of it connected by a walkway, as I hear was common back then.
My dream is to refurbish this gem. You’ll find me swinging on the front porch every time I visit home.
Inside is a hallway down the center. The double doors open into that one hallway (not a separate entry, just 2 doors for width when needed). There are 4 rooms, one of which became the new kitchen after the detached one was gone. Plus the little add-on room at the back & back porch.
Thanks for writing about it & sharing pics for folks to see!
Thanks for sharing the history, Valerie. I’m so glad y’all have kept it in this state. It’s an amazing example of this type, in my opinion.
Brian,
What do you mean by a double-pen farmhouse?
Also, do you know why so many old homes in GA that had long front porches across the front had two front doors?
Wanda Smith
Wanda, double-pen simply means two rooms. It was once a more common term, when there were more houses of this utilitarian form still around. The second door may have been a preacher’s room, for traveling preachers, or perhaps, in the case of a tenant house, just a separate entrance for a separate family.