Homes in the Heartland

Available for the first time in paperback and with a new preface, Homes in the Heartland offers a captivating explanation of the revolutionary balloon frame house construction that swept across Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin from 1850 to 1920, enabling the settlers of the upper Midwest to build affordable permanent structures in which to establish frontier homes.

Featuring more than 150 illustrations, including photographs and house plans, Fred W. Peterson leads readers through the technical aspects of farmhouse construction and discusses the social, economic, and aesthetic values of these familiar homes. Together these narratives provide a fascinating window into the lives of the people who occupied these houses. As the American Historical Review says, “Peterson demonstrates the potential and use of architecture for the purposes of writing social history.”

Fred W. Peterson retired in 1999 from teaching art history at the University of Minnesota, Morris. He lives in Salisbury, Maryland.