Massachusetts homeowners: this may sound strange, but throughout The Bay State, single family residential dwellings have not one but TWO front doors as this feature is quite common in many American homes that were built in the 18th and 19th centuries! Here’s why:

The ultimate scenario proves that two doors might have been in place as they provide separate entrances to residence, opening to different spaces. One door may have led to a formal area, and the other could have been used for day-to-day business. It is obvious that homeowners likely wanted to greet guests at an "established" formal entrance.

Mary Jane White/Cohen & White Associates
Mary Jane White/Cohen & White Associates
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Back in the good ol' days, glass was considered an expensive commodity for early American settlers as orders were place overseas to Europe and the price tag was pretty hefty. It is also obvious that windows used more glass than doors, hence the latter option was favored. Think about the price of a mortgage prior to the 20th century: It may seem like a little, but in those days that was a lot of money for the average American homeowner as renovations to their property were scarce.

#10. South Kensington, Maryland
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A turf rivalry STILL existed in that particular era as well. For example, if your 18th-century neighbor had one front door, why shouldn’t you have two? It seems like double front doors were a sign that a home had multiple rooms, which was a sign of wealth. Think about windows or garage doors on today’s homes as it’s all about status, bragging rights and curb appeal.

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This reminds me of "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" as the Griswold family and their next door neighbors vying to show off who has the BEST holiday display in their front yard and surrounding areas. We experience loads of laughs when Chevy Chase tries to get those outdoor lights going. To paraphrase, he literally got "fried" in the process, LOL! (my favorite scene).

(Image of "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" DVD cover courtesy of www.amazon.com)

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Feverpitched
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Common sense shows if you have a pair of doors at your friendly abode, use one of them as an entrance and the other as an exit. We call that a no-brainer (and I am NOT even a homeowner, dang the irony on that one). Another giveaway is to properly display the WELCOME mat on the door best known as the entrance and all confusion would be avoided in more ways than one!

And now, we'll end with a musical salute to this interesting topic, courtesy of the LOVELY Dolly Parton: (Video courtesy of YouTube)

(Some information obtained in this article, courtesy of www.tasteofhome.com)

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