Zelinsky and the South

Just when I thought I had escaped the study of Vernacular Architecture it reared its head in this article (Zelinsky, W. 1951. Where the South Begins: The Northern Limit of the Cis-Appalachian South in Terms of Settlement Landscape. Social Forces. 30 (2): 172-178) as a method for delineating the South. Zelinsky uses settlement landscapes (the aggregate pattern of all structures and assemblages of structure in which man houses his activities; or in layman's terms--where man puts his structures and does his thing) and the specific patterns created in these landscapes to create a boundary of the cultural South.

This method of creating a data set and observing the landscape is very similar to the methods employed in archeology, anthropology, vernacular architecture study, and folklore to create and define boundaries for particular groups. Not surprising then that it is used in geography to spatial observe a cultural boundary. What differs, and usually will when put to use by geographers, is scale. Zelinsky moves the reader from the small localized scale of houses to small towns. His transition to the larger scale allows the reader to visual the physical make up and perhaps the cultural make up of the area, giving a sense of place to the area.

Zelinsky finds that when this method is employed it creates a boundary that extends north into Maryland (Cecil County) but is abutted by distinct cultural shift to Pennsylvania German. The western edge of this culture area runs along the eastern edge of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Great so Zelinsky has delineated the South based on buildings and their patterns but as I read through this article there was something that bothered me.

Specifically the issue of diffusion. People and ideas move, as would building types and placement patterns. Zelinsky never really addressed this issue, with the exception of the brief comment of "large numbers of African Americans" in the same area that he had delineated. I wonder how his boundary would shift and change over time, perhaps this is a project for an ambitious geographer to undertake.

One particular thing that I did like about this article are the maps. It took me a few moments of examining them to realize that they are all turned 90 degrees to the right. While it may not seem like that big of deal it is sort of a novel thing to do. It focused my attention to the greater depth and coastal location of Zelinsky's South. It gave new perspective on how to see the South. Zelinsky's use of comparative maps to support his delineation is great, in particular the mule to horse ratio map. After I read the paragraph relating to this map I immediately thought of the canals in Washington, D.C. that I had seen with mule paths along the sides so that they could pull the boats along. If you'd like to see these canal paths head over to Georgetown.