Front porches hold valuable meanings to different people

Use your senses and consume the nature around you. 

Listen to the laughter of children playing Ring Around the Rosy in the yard across the street.

Watch how the breeze creates movement through the tree branches and tall grass.

Rub your fingertips along the porch swing’s hand-carved wood edges.

Smell the freshly made desserts that are almost ready to be taken out of the oven.

Imagine what those desserts would taste like when they hit your taste buds for the first bite.

In the nineteenth century, this was a typical setting for someone who would sit on the front porch. It might sound cheesy, but smelling the pie in the window like shown in cartoons was not just common, but almost expected.

Over time, front porches have evolved in many ways, but the meaning of the front porch has remained the same throughout many people’s lives.

According to the American Studies Department at the University of Virginia, “(the front porch) represented the cultural ideas of family, community and nature.†The front porch became significant to culture after it was created in the 1800s. 

For both the young and old, sitting on the porch is timeless. It is a way to enjoy the calm surroundings of your house and neighborhood.

“My front porch is where I love to sit, think and watch nature; it’s my peaceful place,†said Robbianne Achelpohl, a resident of Arlington, Tennessee. “It brings me joy to see the birds and all creatures God has created.â€

Some may not just sit on the front porch to relax, but to investigate, like Shirley Gorman of Collierville. 

“I like sitting on my front porch because the way it is situated, I can see almost everything that goes on in my neighborhood,†said Gorman.

Jenny Munson of Provo, Utah, said that nature is there to show you how much more there is to life than what is going on in yours. 

“It’s a place where you can cry without it being the only thing you hear, hence reminding you there are much bigger things than your pain,†said Munson.

Before she married her husband Dewayne, Sonya Balentine saw the front porch as a place of giving. 

“My mom would leave gifts for us by the door on the porch to come home to after every date,†said Balentine. “They included things like items for the kitchen, little hand towels, cleaning supplies and things to start our home and our life together.â€

“I am not sure if she did that just for the fun of it or to make sure we didn’t run off and elope,†said Balentine.

Sitting on the front porch during the summer is a perfect time for sweets, and Samantha Linville thinks of her great grandmother during this time. 

“I used to sit on the front porch with my great grandmother, and we would watch the hummingbirds and eat ice cream all summer,†said Linville.

Gaby Davila, a 21-year-old woman in the military, has a deeper connection to nature when it comes to the front porch of her house.

“I prefer to watch the rain on the front porch,†said Davila. “The calming sounds help ease my mind from the constant race that does not seem to have a finish line.â€