Salt Box House
Chances are what you call a saltbox house is in fact a biscuit box house.
Salt box house. Old salt box vacation homes. Historic saltbox houses are easily identified by their signature one sided sloped rooflines and simple colonial facades. A saltbox house is a traditional new england style of house with a long pitched roof that slopes down to the back generally with timber framing. Saltbox houses are common in new england and back in the 18th century housed many famous pioneers and patriots including the second u s.
A saltbox has just one story in the back and two stories in the front. Built during the 17th and 18th centuries american saltbox houses were named after commonly used wooden salt containers from the colonial period. Be our guest at one or all of our completely restored old salt box homes. They often include a symmetrical brick chimney too.
Sturdy and understated they are. The flat front and central chimney are recognizable features but the asymmetry of the unequal sides and the long low rear roof line are the most distinctive features of a saltbox which takes its name from its resemblance to a wooden lidded box in which salt was once kept.