How did Alabamians survive the Summer before air conditioning?

[tps_title]5. Front porches[/tps_title]

Flickr user Sonja Lovas
Flickr user Sonja Lovas

 

Still considered an important part of Southern culture, front porch sitting was also a way to keep cool—fan in one hand, sweet iced tea in the other. Some families even escaped to the fresh air of the front porch to sleep on especially hot and stuffy nights.