Boarding Houses in America
The role they played in shaping our country
By Shelly Thompson
Once, a long time ago, hallways where tenants occupied boarding rooms were bustling with activity, genteel ladies with long skirts atop petticoats walked the long halls, men reading newspapers in the parlor commons area kept track of time with pocket watches, meals were served for a quarter, laundry and domestic service was offered, tenant mail sat beside an oil filled lamp, skeleton keys turned locks…these were the days of boarding houses. Today, the term boarding room, or boarding house conjures up all sorts of images. We’ve seen boarding rooms in old movies and TV shows like Gunsmoke for decades. Sherlock Holmes lived in a boarding house at 221 Baker Street, with domestic services provided by the landlady Mrs. Hudson. In the 1939 movie, the Story of Alexander Graham Bell, Bell was a tenant in a boarding house. And, in the timeless 1946 classic film, It’s a Wonderful Life, the Bailey’s own a boarding house…was it really a wonderful life in a boarding house? Well, we visited Sherlock Holmes at 221 Baker Street, did our best detective work, and below is what we’ve found.
I've always been intrigued and somewhat enchanted by boarding rooms. We've been blessed since 2004, to own an 1875 historic bank building in Walnut, Iowa, that once housed boarders on the top floor. The long hallway still gives way to the tenants that once called our building home.
Once, a long time ago, hallways where tenants occupied boarding rooms were bustling with activity, genteel ladies with long skirts atop petticoats walked the long halls, men reading newspapers in the parlor commons area kept track of time with pocket watches, meals were served for a quarter, laundry and domestic service was offered, tenant mail sat beside an oil filled lamp, skeleton keys turned locks…these were the days of boarding houses. Today, the term boarding room, or boarding house conjures up all sorts of images. We’ve seen boarding rooms in old movies and TV shows like Gunsmoke for decades. Sherlock Holmes lived in a boarding house at 221 Baker Street, with domestic services provided by the landlady Mrs. Hudson. In the 1939 movie, the Story of Alexander Graham Bell, Bell was a tenant in a boarding house. And, in the timeless 1946 classic film, It’s a Wonderful Life, the Bailey’s own a boarding house…was it really a wonderful life in a boarding house? Well, we visited Sherlock Holmes at 221 Baker Street, did our best detective work, and below is what we’ve found.
I've always been intrigued and somewhat enchanted by boarding rooms. We've been blessed since 2004, to own an 1875 historic bank building in Walnut, Iowa, that once housed boarders on the top floor. The long hallway still gives way to the tenants that once called our building home.
This is the long hallway in our 1875 historic bank building that once housed boarders.
Since we were not around in the late 1800’s when boarding houses first started appearing throughout America, the images we have of life in a boarding house can be romanticized or impoverished. Many scenarios played out in the era of boarding houses. Boarding rooms were available to both men and women and attracted occupants that were well to do, impoverished, and in some areas even transient citizens. Rules could be very strict for tenants in some boarding houses, while others were not respectable and sometimes dangerous places to live communally. It’s estimated in the early 19th century between thirty to fifty percent of Americans occupied boarding rooms, or took in boarders during some point in their life.
People enjoyed the freedom boarding houses offered allowing them to move away from their families and relocate to a large city pursuing education or employment opportunities not available at the time in rural communities. Most boarding rooms offered two to three meals a day, a small room with a sink or wash basin in the corner, a small cot, and some sort of light or candle. These amenities, if you can call them that, were based on the time period (since boarding houses began before electricity or running water) and financial means. Many boarding houses allowed only male or female residents, while a few offered co-ed occupancies to both men and women. A wide range of boarding houses was available to select from including Jewish and Quaker boarding houses, special boarding rooms for medical students and what was considered “marriageable women”, and many others. There were even vegan and meatless boarding houses in the early 19th century.
People enjoyed the freedom boarding houses offered allowing them to move away from their families and relocate to a large city pursuing education or employment opportunities not available at the time in rural communities. Most boarding rooms offered two to three meals a day, a small room with a sink or wash basin in the corner, a small cot, and some sort of light or candle. These amenities, if you can call them that, were based on the time period (since boarding houses began before electricity or running water) and financial means. Many boarding houses allowed only male or female residents, while a few offered co-ed occupancies to both men and women. A wide range of boarding houses was available to select from including Jewish and Quaker boarding houses, special boarding rooms for medical students and what was considered “marriageable women”, and many others. There were even vegan and meatless boarding houses in the early 19th century.
Times were very different in the boarding room era, with socially acceptable standards requiring unmarried men and women be separate for many events, unless chaperoned, or on a public type of ‘date’, such as a museum, theater, musical, bowling, or other activities that were done in view of the public. The term ‘Courtship’ was commonplace through the mid 1800’s to early 1900’s. Courtship was done in public spaces described above. Co-ed boarding houses were the beginning of breaking the ‘Courtship’ era and by the 50’s ‘courting’ was replaced with more modern ‘dating’ we’re familiar with now.
Many boarding house operators held ‘social mixing’ events for their boarders, especially in the more elite boarding houses. This ‘social mixing’ caused a slow, but radical change occurring through the late 1800’s into the early 1900’s. As people continued to migrate into the cities and become tenants in boarding rooms, the sharing of ideas and meeting larger groups of people played an important role in the history of our country. While ‘social mixing’ was becoming more acceptable, it was still very important to be cautious when selecting a boarding house. Tenants usually made their selection of a boarding house based on finances forcing them to sometimes share community space in boarding rooms with questionable people. Some boarding houses would actually be a disguise for a ‘brothel’, or other criminal activity, using the boarding house as a front.
Many boarding house operators held ‘social mixing’ events for their boarders, especially in the more elite boarding houses. This ‘social mixing’ caused a slow, but radical change occurring through the late 1800’s into the early 1900’s. As people continued to migrate into the cities and become tenants in boarding rooms, the sharing of ideas and meeting larger groups of people played an important role in the history of our country. While ‘social mixing’ was becoming more acceptable, it was still very important to be cautious when selecting a boarding house. Tenants usually made their selection of a boarding house based on finances forcing them to sometimes share community space in boarding rooms with questionable people. Some boarding houses would actually be a disguise for a ‘brothel’, or other criminal activity, using the boarding house as a front.
Most boarding rooms were small with a cot, sink or basin, and a light, oil lamp, or candle
Many boarding houses had a commons area that looked similar to this photo.
It's interesting that the many ways in which boarding houses shaped our country, and even social environment, is not often discussed. Boarding houses have been replaced by apartments, condominiums, or town homes. Gone are the boarding rooms of yesterday. Many old boarding houses have been modified and turned into businesses, or large-scale homes. Some bygone boarding houses have become the popular Bed and Breakfast’s of our own day. Redesigned to include a separate bathroom and comfortable accommodations. Removed is the Edison light dangling from the ceiling, replaced with quaint shabby cottage chandeliers.
Many of the old boarding houses have been torn down, or are in ruins. Thankfully, many are willing to rehab these beautiful structures into something that benefits their community and gives the building new life.
Old boarding houses that are still standing contain so many stories of our past American fellow citizens. These brick-and-mortar structures hold the lives of those that lived in poverty, hard working tenants that eventually had great success stories, “marriageable women” getting a proposal on the porch of the boarding house on a sunny afternoon, shared dinners with other tenants, exhaustion after a hard day of work during the depression era, and so much more. Boarding houses changed the landscape of relationships, dating, and society overall.
These were just a few of the 'tenants' that shaped our nation in many ways today.
The now vacant tenant rooms once filled with laughter, tears, writing letters home, oil lamps, and a tiny sink in the corner…were once filled with hard working people who had no idea what the internet or cell phone was. They were just like us with dreams. We’re thankful for what these boarding room occupants contributed to our society by being brave enough to leave their home and become tenants in a land where they unknowingly inspired change.