Many New Homes…But One Thing Is Missing…

As I drive around the county, I see many new homes that have been built in the last few years…not just near the edge of Crawfordsville, but also out in the country. Not near as many as have been built in Tippecanoe County, but when I look at all of that county’s problems…increased crime, traffic congestion, crowded stores and restaurants…I am grateful that we are not like them. There are many new subdivisions around Lafayette. The majority of the homes all look alike…same color and same design…I assume to save money on construction costs for the developer. How sad…

There is one thing that is missing from almost all new homes today…a front porch. Do you remember those? Perhaps the front porch has gone the way of the ice cream soda shop and small hometown schools. A few older homes still have front porches, but by and large they are rare. The farmhouse in which I grew up had one, as did a majority of the houses in Darlington. We had a couple of “tulip” metal chairs on our porch, along with a swing that Dad built and hung from the porch ceiling. At the end of a summer day, we could sit and watch the cars go by on County Road 400 North, read the paper, smell the new mown hay, view the sunset, listen to the crickets, and look up at the stars. During many afternoons, my folks could watch my brother and me, and neighbor kids, play baseball and golf…or my sister practice her cheerleading cartwheels in the front pasture, as they drank lemonade and cranked the handle of the homemade ice cream maker.

On the porches in town, people visited each other and caught up on the latest news and yes…the latest gossip. They sipped iced tea, discussed politics and local sports, listened to dogs barking in the distance, and watched kids ride by on their bikes. When Mom and Dad moved to town and purchased their first house in the mid-1960s, they made sure it had a front porch. And Dad brought his homemade swing and metal garden chairs from the farm.

So what happened? Our society today has become more private…mainly due to technology…television, computers, and video games. People communicate through Facebook, E-mail, and texts much more so than person-to-person. Several new homes have fences to separate each from their neighbors. Some neighbors never even meet each other, let alone stop and chat. And in many backyards, homeowners have erected decks and patios and swimming pools and hot tubs…their own private little kingdom. And let’s not forget the ultimate private “convenience,” gated communities with private security. People leave their residence in the morning, work all day, and return through their automatic garage door or locked gates…never seeing their neighbors. In the evening, people are sitting in front of the TV or computer…or staring at their phone, not sitting on their front porch. For those people who live in a crowded city and have a front porch, they can’t stand the noise from the constant traffic.

We live in a fast paced world in high tech times. Family members and neighbors used to congregate on the front porch. Couples held hands and kissed. Kids would stop and say “Hi.” The neighbor’s dog would saunter up and beg for a treat or a pat on the head. People could read, or just sit and enjoy the quietness and solitude at the end of the day. Porches were everything that today isn’t. I miss them, don’t you?

-John “Butch” Dale is a retired teacher and County Sheriff. He has also been the librarian at Darlington the past 32 years, and is a well-known artist and author of local history.