Designing and Building The Porch
Why provide a porch?
Historically the porch has provided a public space for gathering by the black community in order to share stories, pass on traditions, and strengthen community identity.
Why is the canopy painted haint blue?
The first painted strokes of haint blue in the U.S. adorned not the homes of the rich, but the simple shacks of African slaves. The original haint blue creators worked on plantations. Many of their ancestors came from Angola, and are well known for preserving their African heritage. They kept alive the traditions, stories, and beliefs of their ancestors, including a fear of haints.
Haints, or haunts, are spirits trapped between the world of the living and the world of the dead, who are unable to cross over water. The slaves had an elegant solution. They created the haint blue paint to look like water so the spirits would become confused and tricked into thinking they could not enter. The slaves used this color to paint their porches and other openings in their homes. The tradition of painting porch ceilings haint blue continues today and demonstrates how African heritage is a part of American culture.
Historically the porch has provided a public space for gathering by the black community in order to share stories, pass on traditions, and strengthen community identity.
Why is the canopy painted haint blue?
The first painted strokes of haint blue in the U.S. adorned not the homes of the rich, but the simple shacks of African slaves. The original haint blue creators worked on plantations. Many of their ancestors came from Angola, and are well known for preserving their African heritage. They kept alive the traditions, stories, and beliefs of their ancestors, including a fear of haints.
Haints, or haunts, are spirits trapped between the world of the living and the world of the dead, who are unable to cross over water. The slaves had an elegant solution. They created the haint blue paint to look like water so the spirits would become confused and tricked into thinking they could not enter. The slaves used this color to paint their porches and other openings in their homes. The tradition of painting porch ceilings haint blue continues today and demonstrates how African heritage is a part of American culture.