Since the early 1990’s, a widely-accepted theory is that the shotgun house originated among plantation slaves in the Caribbean, and was carried to New Orleans and disseminated throughout the south by slaves and free African-Americans. Shotgun homes would later be used throughout the United States as a way to provide temporary and affordable housing for laborers and their families. In Oklahoma these houses were built to house the oil field workers. The houses were built around oil fields and the areas became known as oilfield camps. Before the shotgun houses were built many oil field workers rented bed space in tents or any other place they could find a place to rest.
It is often said that these houses acquired their name because, if all the doors were open, a shotgun could be fired from the front porch to the backyard without hitting anything. Well into the 1970’s, shotgun houses were viewed as inherently-substandard, a symbol of poverty like the unpaved streets and outdoor plumbing that characterized the neighborhoods where they stood.
The shotgun house was typically 2 rooms. The average size was 14 ft. wide by 28 ft. long. Most had a small front porch supported by two 2 X 4s. The front room was used as a living room and bedroom. Most shotgun houses had no electricity, gas or running water. Water was carried in from the well. If you will notice in the photo to the left you will see that the furnishings were simple. Clothes were hung from a rod under a shelf that went along the wall. You heated the house with a pot bellied stove. The photo on the right features a potbellied stove, a phonograph (the type you would wind up) and a trunk for storage. The typical living room would have one or more beds in it. Entertainment was also simple with a few board games or reading. Bedtime came early because work started at dawn. 
Cooking was either with a wood cook stove or kerosene. If you were lucky you would have a coolerator (better known as ice box). In the photo below of the ice box you will notice a sign with 50 on it. This sign would be placed in the window with the number on it to let the ice man know how much ice was to be delivered. The ice house delivered blocks of ice to place in a drawer in the bottom of the ice box and this is what kept your food cold.
Some people built a leanto onto the house for cooking or bathing. Also some people had a wash house to house their wringer washers. The water had to be heated outside on an open fire. Then it was carried and placed in the tubs for washing and rinsing your clothes. Instead of a spin cycle you had a wringer to run your clothes through to remove excess water.
All houses came equipped with the outhouse. The one at the museum is known as a two holer.
