Unlike many other societies, where tradition and social status rigidly dictate architectural norms, Americans have felt little restraint in deciding for themselves the appearance of their homes. Those who have eschewed standard models have given us interesting expressions of individual taste. Thomas Hall’s house of 1882 illustrates one person’s attempt to make a standard house form stand apart from the uninspired vernacular of the neighborhood. Here Hall, perhaps belatedly influenced by pattern-book fashion, applied board-and- batten siding to a traditional I- house. He also gave his Montgomery County residence a distinct if austere monumentality by the use of a two-story portico with paired square columns. The result is an odd though effective composition, unparalleled in the region. The slate roof adds a further touch of “class” to this eye-catching naïve work.

The Thomas Hall House was listed in the registers under the Prehistoric and Historic Resources of Montgomery County MPD.