Apalachee Home - Simple & Sturdy

Apalachee homes were relatively simple dwellings used mainly for sleeping and storage, while most daily activities took place outside. In 1675, an Apalachee house was described as small, round, and made of thatch, with a low, narrow doorway and no windows. Its interior included a central hearth and sleeping benches covered with pelts, with smudge pits beneath the benches providing smoke to repel insects. There may also have been a small opening in the thatched roof for ventilation. Using materials from nearby forests, builders lashed together wooden poles and covered the frame with layers of palmetto fronds. These houses were easy to repair and quick to build, which allowed the Apalachee to relocate settlements away from the mission. One partially excavated house east of the exit measured 21 feet in diameter and showed a row of smaller posts for sleeping benches as well as support posts near the center.

Tallahassee, Florida · United States