Haint blue ceiling history books

In her history of the gullah culture, marissa polascak wrote, there are many gullah traditions, customs, and beliefs that are still being practiced today. True tales of southern haints stories about southern. While the cool, airy white porch with a blue ceiling speaks to elegant victoriana, ill note that the practice probably does originate in the traditions of the gullah or. Especially interesting is that several rooms at prospect place have the original haint blue milk paint applied when the house was built in 1856. This was also said to have applied to blue shutters and window frames, leading some families to add haint blue to more than just their porch ceilings. Jun 25, 2019 there is no onesizefitsall solution when picking a porch ceiling blue. Belief in haints was so common, they even spawned their own color. Lauren petraccathe post and courier via ap more print. It is not only beautiful but fashionable to paint your porch ceilings haint blue. Haint blue is a tricky color, but the simple answer is to pick something that goes with your house and your personality. I wish i had a porch so i could paint the ceiling haint blue we do have a little club house in the backyard and i ought to paint the ceiling so the paper wasps will find another place to build their nests. Haint blue is significant because of its power to ward off and deter spirits, particularly evil spirits.

If yall have never heard of it before, haint blue is a popular color to paint porches. A new brewery in mobile is using haint blue beer to fight terrorists on the other side of the world. If you love looking at it when you sit on your porch swing in the evenings with your sweet tea, you cant go wrong. Kendall manor, built in 1872, is one of the homes on the annual eufaula pilgrimage of homes. Frequently considered just a southern superstition, blue porch ceilings have actually been a longstanding tradition in many parts of the country for centuries. The ceiling of the slave quarters at the owensthomas house in savannah, georgia, built in the early nineteenth century, wa s painted ha int blue. Haint blue porch ceiling by lake lou from flickr creative commons, and featured skeleton portrait from. Haint blue paint color for repelling bugs howard garrett. If the front porch of a home is painted with haint blue it is believed that no spirit will cross over and enter the house.

Newspaper article explores why history of charlestons haint blue porches is hard to trace admin. Haint blue graces the front porch ceiling of many a home in the southern united states. While an internet search today shows many hues that could be used as haint blue, theres little easily accessible information tracking the colors history. The history behind the southern tradition of haint blue. But, the ceiling on ours is sided with the same white siding thats used on the rest of the house. Paint your porch ceiling, haint blue porch ceiling painted haint blue has haint blue paint colors the haint blue color of the low countrygullah culture and why the residents paint their porch ceilings blue. Apr 05, 2014 the history of haint blue goes back to the gullah sometimes referred to as geechee after the ogeechee river people of coastal south carolina and georgia. See more ideas about haint blue, blue ceilings and blue porch ceiling. The actual color could run from soft powder blue to true sky blue to bright teal. Haint bl ue is a collection of pale shades of b lue green that are traditionally used to paint porch cei lings in the southern united states the tradition originated with the gullah in georgia and south carol ina. The house is a contemporary build with a neutral offwhite and brown paletteexcept for the ceiling in the grand dinning room. The books title comes from an old belief that ghosts haints wont cross water and painting ceilings, doors and windows haint blue protects the inhabitants from them. The tradition started in the nineteenthcentury with the african american gullah people, who believed spirits could not pass through water. Haint blue is an alabama maker fighting terrorism with beer.

Haint blue uses a supplier in chicago that is owned by veterans. But, john lowery said each and every inch of his room serves a particular purpose. The haint blue color of the low countrygullah culture and why the residents paint their porch ceilings blue. Alphonso brown, a guide with gullah tours in charleston, s. This one will tell you quite a bit about the low country that you likely did not know. The tradition originated with the gullah in georgia and the carolinas, but has also been adopted by white southerners. Spend a weekend househunting in charleston or strolling the streets of savannah, and youll likely notice that many of the houses no matter the colors of their shutters, the colors of their front doors, or even the colors of the houses themselves have one thing in common. The porch ceiling had previously been white, and it was looking a little bit grey and mildewy in spots. A far cry from her former manhattan existence, where she spent four years working for robert a. Haint blue mysterious and elusive paint color hubpages. Haint blue is a soft blue green that is traditionally used to paint porch ceilings in the southern united states.

This haint blue, first derived from the dye produced on lowcountry indigo plantations, was originally used by enslaved africans, and later by the gullah geechee, to combat haints and. If you love looking at it when you sit on your porch swing in. Sep 20, 20 susan, i had always wanted to paint my porch ceiling haint blue. This summer my sister painted the ceiling of the front porch a light blue, which was no small feat. While the practice is widespread across much of the south and has even made its way. Aug 01, 2017 haint is another name for haunt, or ghost, and down south the superstition persists that if you paint your porch ceiling haint blue, it will ward off evil spirits.

Once upon a time in the deep south, many people painted their porch ceilings a specific shade of haint. The savannah historical society reproduced and authorized the use two haint blue paints in 1980. This is why the color for baby boys is light blue, in order to protect them from spirits or haints. Therefore, painting your porch ceiling with this beautiful color might have served the purpose of repelling insects. Susan, i had always wanted to paint my porch ceiling haint blue. The porch as we know it today, and as popularized in pattern books in the age of victoria was added to the southern colonial vernacular plantation house by african craftsmen. So many people think it doesnt matter but when you hear the whole story it makes things come alive. So unique is the holy citys palette that historic charleston foundation partnered with sherwin. Oct 30, 2009 haint blue and the porch the front porch is an american architectural element with origins in western africa, brought to the colonies by slaves. The history of haint blue goes back to the gullah sometimes referred to as geechee after the ogeechee river people of coastal south carolina and georgia. Haint blue porch ceilings have a tough history to track. And he says the africanamerican word haint, used as a noun, was first. One think i have learned from reading many novels is that you learn so much about settings, which are almost always accurate.

Clockwise form top left haint blue, charleston green, verdigris green, and yellow ochre limewash. We like to think there is a palatable amount of french history here in the port city, so we thought that was a good start. Haint blue was supposed to protect people from bad spirits. Giving your own outdoor space a hint of blue is the perfect way to play into history, and it just might keep wasps, evil spirits and nightfall away, too. Oct 07, 2019 the books title comes from an old belief that ghosts haints wont cross water and painting ceilings, doors and windows haint blue protects the inhabitants from them. Front porch ceiling painted haint blue haint blue porch paint, the preferred color for many porch lovers, has a rich history and colorful past.

Stern architects, its a welcoming and wellappointed spot complete with wicker furniture, a haint blue ceiling, and good books always close at hand. Haint blue is not a single shade of blue, but refers rather to a blue used for this purpose. What the color haint blue means to the descendants of. While true haint blue is a soft blue green shade, and was a milk paint wash, these days, the hue is a bit more open to interpretation. According to gullah tradition, haints cannot move across water and therein lies the protective power of the color.

The folklore is that slaves descended from central and west africa created this tradition. We are currently on a project in the seattle highlands neighborhood. The front door will be stained a walnut with black hardware and the metal roof is bronze. See more ideas about haint blue, porch ceiling and house colors. The symmetry of these homes keeps the look restrained. One online dictionary defines the word haint simply as a ghost. Blue ceiling paint haint blue porch ceiling colored ceiling ceiling color blue ceiling bedroom ceiling paint ideas blue paint colors exterior paint colors paint colors for home benjamin moores ewing blue is a muted shade of powder blue with just the slight tint of green that makes piazza blue so unmistakable. This haint blue, first derived from the dye produced on lowcountry. See more ideas about blue ceilings, interior and home.

The shade of blue is as varied as the porch ceilings they adorn. We discovered haint blue ceilings on the porch at the historic oaklands house museum in murfreesboro, tennessee photos. Looking at the sky and ocean they came up with the chalky blue that covers many buildings throughout colonial williamsburg, most notably the blue bell tavern. Haint blue is probably more of a culturally iconic hue that falls in the light blue to bluegreen range rather than an actual, specific color. Originally, haint blue was thought by the gullah to ward haints, or ghosts, away from the home. Haint blue is a collection of pale shades of bluegreen that are traditionally used to paint porch ceilings in the southern united states.

Please practice handwashing and social distancing, and check out our resources for adapting to these times. Aug, 2014 giving your own outdoor space a hint of blue is the perfect way to play into history, and it just might keep wasps, evil spirits and nightfall away, too. The ceiling of the slave quarters at the owensthomas house in savannah, georgia, built in the early nineteenth century, was painted. Charlestons haint blue porch ceilings have a tough history. This color works best on wooden colonialstyle homes. The blue ceiling of the porch of the william perkins house in eutaw. Charlestons haint blue porch ceilings have a tough. But, at the same time we added on the back porch addition, we also added on a sunroom indoors. Southerners have used haint blue porch ceilings and doors to ward off evil spirits for many years. Apr 19, 2019 from colonial treasures to tavern trinkets and other articles from the past, dozens of items spanning different eras cover the walls from the floor to the haint blue ceiling. There is no onesizefitsall solution when picking a porch ceiling blue.

Haint blue is also rumored to scare away insects, probably stemming from the fact that oldfashioned milk paint used to contain lye. Saffron, honestly, is a way to tie my past to haint blues future. Jan 14, 2020 this haint blue, first derived from the dye produced on lowcountry indigo plantations, was originally used by enslaved africans, and later by the gullah geechee, to combat haints and. A house on sires street features a blue door with a haint blue porch ceiling on nov. Haint blue draws the reader into a pageturning story of guilt, forgiveness and hope. Felder rushing, who wrote a book about the history of bottle trees, says the word haint is actually derived from early european roots. Im not from kansas but when i went to college here fifty years ago i had good guides to the popular culture. The porch as we know it today, and as popularized in pattern books.

Blue ceiling paint sky blue paint light blue paints colored ceiling light blue paint colors shades of light blue porch ceiling lights haint blue porch ceiling palladian blue benjamin moore whether because were superstitious or hoping to keep the wasps at bay, we love to paint a porch ceiling blue. The thinking was that haints would assume the door was the sky, mistake the blue ceiling for water, and thereby get totally confused about how to enter the home. Painting a porch ceiling blue to ward off spirits and ghosts was later adopted across the south. This was also said to have applied to blue shutters and window frames, leading some families to add haint blue to. Long before people were instagramming rainbow rows wild colors, charleston was a city of georgian earthbased shades, brilliant greek revival greens, and piazzaceiling blues. The ceilings of their broad summer porches are painted almost universally in just one color.

The gullah people also known as the geechee or gullah geechee in georgia, a subsection of enslaved people who lived on island and costal plantations, were the first to use this color blue as a protection against evil spirits, calling it haint blue. Jun 08, 2010 haint blue draws the reader into a pageturning story of guilt, forgiveness and hope. Its upper and lower porch ceilings are painted blue. Prettiest shades of haint blue for your porch southern. The tradition originated with the gullah in georgia and south carolina. Ap tour guide alphonso brown knows one of charlestons most common design trends well, because he grew up with it in. Haint blue porch ceilings have a tough history to track charleston, s. The tactic was intended either to mimic the appearance of the sky, tricking the ghost into passing through, or to mimic the appearance of water, which ghosts traditionally could not cross. Church is a big priority, followed closely by the fortunes of the local high school and college football teams. Lori believes haint blue is an amazing color which can be found on not only porch ceilings but also on doors, window shutters, and buildings all over the world. The dirt doctor shares that the savannah historical society reproduced and authorized the use two haint blue paints in 1980.

I love my books and am constantly referring to them as a resource, she says. We are building in the middle of a farm, a simple empty nester house. Jun 11, 2014 the history of haint blue june 11, 2014 by danielle hatfield 7 comments if youve ever driven deep into lowcountry where the spanish moss practically drips off trees and sweet tea on the front porch is a past time, then youve probably seen a porch ceiling that was painted blue. While true haint blue is a soft bluegreen shade, and was a milk paint wash, these days, the hue is a bit more open to interpretation. From colonial treasures to tavern trinkets and other articles from the past, dozens of items spanning different eras cover the walls from the floor to the haint blue ceiling. Jun 05, 2015 haint blue is not a single shade of blue, but refers rather to a blue used for this purpose. Flash of the past boaz classroom transformation brings. The idea behind haint blue is that it mimics the color of water. Porch swing is a swing that is typically placed in an enclosed or unenclosed porch, patio or an informal extension of the living room or entryway of your house. From aqua to a sunwashed cerulean, the many versions of haint blue make it easy to find one that works with your porch and house color. Once upon a time in the deep south, many people painted their porch ceilings a specific shade of haint blue, a soft bluegreen, to ward off evil spirits called haints. See more ideas about haint blue, new orleans and porch ceiling. The history of haint blue porch ceilings, taryn williford advises that powder blue on the porch is a beautiful color choice for aesthetic as well as superstitious reasons, and reminds us that blue porches are popular upanddown the east coast.