Surviving Clusters of Shotgun Houses

Birthplace of Elvis – shotgun house in Tupelo, MS – Source: en.wikipedia.org

The shotgun house, or shotgun shack is an easily recognizable long and narrow residential dwelling style that was most commonly constructed in the Deep South and along/near the Ohio and Mississippi River valleys in the decades between the end of the Civil War and start of World War II. With African and Haitian roots, these vernacular structures are most often synonymous with New Orleans, Louisiana. Despite numerous losses from Hurricane Katrina, a 2007 book published by the Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans indicates more than 25,000 still exist throughout the city.

Shotgun houses of New Orleans – Source: pinterest.com

Second to New Orleans, the largest cluster of these historic and functional dwellings can be found in Louisville, Kentucky, where more than 8,000 remain today. Beyond these two nodes, there are smaller clusters located in a number of cities and towns. The list provided below identifies those located by the author through internet searches. It is not meant to be all-inclusive, but as a centralized database from which to compile a more complete and accurate list. Any and all additions or corrections to the list are always welcome.

Row of brick shotgun houses in Louisville – Source: en.wikipedia.org

While researching these fascinating homes, it became apparent that if done correctly, shotgun homes could be an excellent option for providing workforce and/or affordable housing to many locales currently lacking such “missing middle” housing. Their narrow and linear footprint is conducive to urban and rural situations, particularly narrow urban lots or for infill developments. Variations include the traditional single barrel style, double barrel which is essentially two shotgun houses side-by-side, and an camelback, which has a second story in the mid-section of the shotgun house. On the interior, shotgun houses most often contained between two (2) and four (4) bays for living purposes, each extending behind the next and traditionally without an interconnecting hallway.

Typical floorpan – Source: en.wikipedia.org

Three (3) new developments of shotgun houses were also identified during research and are included in the list below – I am sure there are others. These have been or are being developed in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Lafayette, Louisiana; and Ozark, Alabama. Other communities are seeing the benefit of restoring their existing stock of shotgun houses both as a form of revitalization and for providing middle-income housing opportunities. Save Our Shotguns in Apalachicola, Florida appears to be a leader in this kind of effort.

New shotgun houses in the Freetown section of Lafayette, LA – Source: facebook.com

Hopefully, more cities will strive to preserve their iconic shotgun houses. They serve not only as a historic reminder of yesterday, but also as a potential solution to the affordable housing issues of today. More on that topic in a follow-up blogpost. Peace, my friends.

Link to a children’s book on shotgun houses. (* see note)

Neighborhoods with Clusters of Shotgun Homes

Allendale in Shreveport, Louisiana
Arsenal Hill in Columbia, South Carolina
Baker Street Bottoms in Shreveport, Louisiana
Bay St. Louis, Mississippi
Bayou St. John in New Orleans
Beauregard in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Bethlehem in Augusta, Georgia
Blankenship Homes in Ozark, Alabama – new development
Brownsville in Pensacola, Florida
Butchertown in Louisville, Kentucky
Bywater in New Orleans, Louisiana
Cabbagetown in Atlanta, Georgia
Cairo, Illinois
Campground Historic District in Mobile, Alabama
Carondelet in St. Louis, Missouri
Central Avenue in Madison, Indiana
Centennial Hill in Montgomery, Alabama
Cleveland Street in Jacksonville, Florida
Clifton in Louisville, Kentucky
Creekside Creole Cottages in Baton Rouge, Louisiana – new development
Davis Bottom in Lexington, Kentucky
Delmar-Lema in Memphis, Tennessee
Dorothea Gardens in Raleigh, North Carolina
Dunbar in Little Rock, Arkansas
East Highlands-Bonny Doon in Columbus, Georgia
East Wilson Historic District/Vick Street in Wilson, North Carolina
Elmwood Park in Columbia, South Carolina
Esplanade Ridge in New Orleans, Louisiana
Evergreen Avenue in Jacksonville, Florida
Farish Street Historic District in Jackson, Mississippi
Faubourg St. Roch in New Orleans, Louisiana
Filipinotown in Los Angeles, California
Freedman’s Town in Houston, Texas
Freetown-SpringHill in Lafayette, Louisiana – new development
French Quarter in New Orleans, Louisiana
Frenchtown in Tallahassee, Florida
Garden District in New Orleans, Louisiana
Garvinwood/East Indiana Avenue in Evansville, Indiana
Germantown in Louisville, Kentucky
Germantown in Nashville, Tennessee
Germantown in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Greenlaw in Memphis, Tennessee
Happy Hill/Humphrey Street in Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Harrisburg (Fenwick Street) in Augusta, Georgia
Highland Park Mill Village in Charlotte, North Carolina
Hill/Northside in Apalachicola, Florida
Historic Bottoms in Columbus, Georgia
Hollygrove in New Orleans, Louisiana
Holy Cross in New Orleans, Louisiana
Hyde Park in St. Louis, Missouri
Jackson Square in Covington, Kentucky
Lincolnville Historic District in St. Augustine, Florida
Main Street in Vicksburg, Mississippi
Mechanicsville in Knoxville, Tennessee
Merrimack Hill Historic Village in Huntsville, Alabama
Mid-City in New Orleans, Louisiana
Midtown in New Albany, Indiana
Martin Luther King NHP in Atlanta, Georgia
Near South in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Northwest Historic District in Quincy, Illinois
Northwest Quadrant in Beaufort, South Carolina
Oakley Street in Jacksonville, Florida
Old North in St. Louis, Missouri
Old Town North in Key West, Florida
Overtown in Sarasota, Florida
Paducah, Kentucky
Peabody Street in Shreveport, Louisiana
Phoenix Hill in Louisville, Kentucky
Pleasant Hill in Macon, Georgia
Pleasant Street Historic District in Gainesville, Florida
Portland in Louisville, Kentucky
Reynoldstown in Atlanta, Georgia
Roanoke Park in Raleigh, North Carolina
Rock Springs, Wyoming
Salem Town in Nashville, Tennessee
Sand Springs Widow’s Colony in Sand Springs, Oklahoma
Scott Street in McKeesport, Pennsylvania
Seville Historic District in Pensacola, Florida
Shotgun Row in Covington, Kentucky
Smoketown in Louisville, Kentucky
Smokey Hollow in Tallahassee, Florida
Spanish Town in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Strawberry Hill in Kansas City Kansas
The Hill in St. Louis, Missouri
The Nations in Nashville, Tennessee
Third Ward in Houston, Texas (may have been impacted by Hurricane Harvey)
Tindall Heights in Macon, Georgia
Treme in New Orleans, Louisiana
Vance-Ponotoc in Memphis, Tennessee
Ville Historic District-Billups Avenue in St. Louis, Missouri
Walker Park in Fayetteville, Arkansas
Walltown/Berkeley Street in Durham, North Carolina
Watts House Project in Los Angeles
West Coconut Grove in Miami, Florida
Westside in Port Arthur, Texas (may have been impacted by Hurricane Harvey)
West Tampa in Tampa, Florida
Woodlawn Historic District in Natchez, Mississippi
Wyatt Street in Waxahachie, Texas
Yandes Street in Franklin, Indiana – Thank you, Greg (added 8/23/20)
Ybor City State Museum in Tampa, Florida
York Street Historic District in Newport, Kentucky

_____

*A small commission is earned from purchases that are made using these links to Amazon.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

SOURCES:

2 Responses to Surviving Clusters of Shotgun Houses

Greg Quagliara says:

August 22, 2020 at 11:57 pm

There are a set of 4 brick shotgun homes in Franklin, Indiana on Yandes Street.

LikeLike

- problogic says:
  
  August 23, 2020 at 10:56 am
  
  Awesome – Thank you! Will add that information.
  
  LikeLike