This lively interpretation of the changing design of US farmhouses during the 19th century is founded on owner-designed farmhouse plans from the East and Midwest, which are complemented by letters, biographical data, and over one hundred illustrations. In explaining how these transformations reflected changing aspirations and social and economic conditions , focusing on the eventual segregation of male and female domains, this study offers important new insights into the nature of American vernacular architecture and its role in US social history.