In the seventeenth century, thousands of settlers left England and various parts of Europe and crossed the Atlantic to colonize the New World. The first settlement was established at Jamestown, Virginia in 1607 and its development produced a fresh type of architecture that was born of old traditions. The early settlers initially designed and constructed their new homes in a style that closely resembled their previous houses in Europe. However, weather conditions in America were harsh as compared to the milder European climate.

     Conventional building materials were scarce in the colonies making deviations from the former European designs inevitable. As an example, steep English

roofs were replaced by lower pitched structures when it was determined that thatched roofing material performed poorly on homes in the new world. Split shingles, or "shakes," that do not require a steep pitch to shed water, replaced thatched roofs.