Boarding Houses: An Old-Fashioned Tradition

You may or may not be familiar with the phrase, “boarding house”. Also known as a rooming house in the United States, sometimes called a lodging house, the boarding house is phenomenon that dates back to the early 1800s, when farm boys came to the cities in search of work. The young men could find a room, reasonably decent food and can sometimes get their laundry done. In those days, owners of boarding houses took it one step further, offering instruction in the lifestyle of the city, what we today would call the “do’s and don’ts”, and would often take the boarders to church with them.

Today, boarding houses are usually family homes where vacationers can rent a room for one or more nights. The boarders used to share washing, breakfast and dining facilities, but in this modern day, boarding houses have expanded their space to include more private facilities for its boarders. It seems every country has its own version of a boarding house. In the UK, boarding houses are run by landladies who offer the options of bed and breakfast, half-board (bed and breakfast, plus dinner) or full board (bed, breakfast, lunch and dinner). Canada and Australia have versions of boarding houses, and in Japan, the minishuku operates much like the half-board option of the UK homes. In Hawaii, where it is incredibly expensive to live, many take in lodgers who share the cost of the rent or mortgage.

The American boarding house, with its routes in the beginnings of the industrial age, has certainly seen many changes in its time. Often, widowed woman ran these houses. Scorned by their community for earning a wage like their male counterparts, these women were happy to have a domestic way to earn a wage and support their families. As our cities and towns swelled with people looking for opportunity, the needs and accommodations of the boarding house changed with it. From the boarding houses of the 1800’s to the Howard Johnson motels of today, it is part of the human condition to want to help others in need. Those of us who can provide for others do so out of the goodness of our hearts and the understanding of the human spirit. The tradition of boarding houses will no doubt carry on into time immemorial, where people lend a helping hand just because they can. To find out further information about boarding houses, contact your local chamber of commerce or log onto the Internet.