In the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries, Americans began to discover there own, more recent past, the Colonial. The period designated Colonial became the ubiquitous label used to describe any number of built expressions that, however

Lott-Boykin House

vaguely, paid homage to America's early architectural heritage. Reflecting the diverse ethnicities and periodic particulars that make up the American cultural matrix, styles were numerous and dates were fluid. Whether forms or features pre- or postdated the American Revolution mattered little to tastemakers and patrons. The visual idioms often took the names of ethnic groups, ergo the Dutch, Spanish, English, and French Colonial Revivals. At times, a stylistic moniker referenced a region. Such was the case with the Colonial Revival and the American South. Across the United States, the popular image of the South was that of a landscape dotted with houses featuring white columns and gracious porches.  In spite of the fact that only one known colonial mansion featured a monumental portico, the so-called "Southern Colonial Revival" received endorsement from critics, architects, and patrons across the country. Large houses with giant colonnades and clapboarded walls were constructed as far north as Newport, Rhode Island and as far west as Beaumont, Texas. As one might expect, the adoption of the forms associated with colonial and antebellum pasts was far more pervasive and nuanced in the Deep South.