The Triangle
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 Keeping Cool--Southern Style
Without air conditioning, the Triangle would not enjoy its current prosperity. But before summer was comfortable, Southerners had mastered a few tricks for making it bearable.
Traditional Southern homes were designed to beat the heat. High ceilings, long breezeways, steeply pitched roofs, open porches with broad eaves, and groves of shade trees were used to stifle the sun and catch breezes. Paperweights were office essentials as fans kept the air moving overhead.
The hearty noontime meal also has its roots in practicality. The bulk of the cooking would be completed in the morning, before the sun had flexed its muscle. The remains of the dinner would then be served for supper because without refrigeration, the food would not keep overnight. Later, ice boxes, with massive blocks of home-delivered ice, made a more varied diet possible.
As now, when it was hotter in town, city dwellers headed to water. Crabtree Creek, Swift Creek, the Neuse River and various ponds provided a splash of relief. According to historians, there was a large swimming hole on Oberlin Road (near the Wade Avenue bridge), and an area called Boone's Pond behind Lake Boone Trail.
In the evenings, the front porch became a true "family" room. Residents, with glasses of sweetened iced tea in hand, settled into swings or rocking chairs greeting their neighbors who might stroll by.
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