She Started The Tiny House Trend 100 Years Ago And Believed The Best Way To Improve People's Quality Of Life Was To Start Living In Smaller, More Economically Savvy Houses

Over the last ten years, the tiny house trend has taken over many people's lives.

A lot of people have chosen to downsize their lives and belongings to fit inside teeny tiny homes, some of which can travel all over the country.

People choose to live in tiny homes for a wide variety of reasons. Some find it more affordable, some want to be free from clutter, some build them to help the environment, and some people mostly use them as a place to rest in between travel journies.

While we've seen some pretty extraordinary tiny houses over the years, do you know anything about the woman credited for starting the tiny house trend in America in the 1920s?

Caroline Bartlett Crane was a sociologist and social reformer who believed that one of the best ways to improve society, people's quality of life, and our environment was to start living in smaller, more economically savvy houses.

Passionate about housing reform for many years, Caroline was inspired to encourage Americans to build smaller homes after a trip to Great Britain in 1891, where she visited a "foundational settlement house" built in association with the Salvation Army to house the working class.

After her trip, she returned to America, ready to make valiant efforts to reform municipal housing and help people build smaller, freestanding houses that provided residents with a better quality of life. Her services especially thrived in Rochester, New York, in the 1910s, but she is said to have helped at least 60 cities with consulting.

Caroline's work caught the attention of President Herbert Hoover. In 1924, he encouraged her to design and build one of these practical small homes for the "Better Homes in America" contest, and she delivered.

Alongside George Gilbert Worden, an architect from Kalamazoo, Michigan, Caroline designed a fantastic tiny home called "Everyman's House" in Kalamazoo. It was a space and money-saving home designed to resemble a sweet Colonial cottage. 

panu101 - stock.adobe.com - illustrative purposes only

Everyman's House was only 638 square feet in total but included everything American residents could need from the average home.

It had a second floor, a full basement, and five rooms. The home also had a fireplace and electric fixtures.

The house was designed to comfortably fit a family of five or less, like two parents and two to three children.

Most people who brought supplies to build and help build the house donated their supplies and services.

Once the home was completed, Caroline estimated that houses like the Everyman House could be built across America for as little as $5,000.

During the "Better Homes in America" competition, approximately 20,000 people visited and toured Everyman House, and it was named the winner.

While President Hoover wanted Caroline to work on the Better Homes Committee in Kalamazoo, the following year, her health began to deteriorate, so she stopped working in public health.

Amazingly, although the Everyman House was only built for demonstrational purposes, it still stands in Kalamazoo and is actually available as a rental home! 

So, while some of the most amazing modern tiny homes can be viewed on TV and social media, it's cool to learn about a woman who wanted them to be a trend 100 years ago for the betterment of our society. 

Would you go stay in this fascinating and historic tiny home?

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