12. The Puritans established the first laws respecting the appearance of houses
In 1632 Thomas Dudley, one of the founders of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, used his own money to erect a wooden palisade which enclosed about 1,000 acres across the river from Boston. Within, he erected a home in the new community, which was called Newtowne (present day Cambridge). His home featured exterior walls which were adorned with decorative wooden panels, known as wainscoting. The ostentatious display of wealth offended the sensibilities of the Bay Colony’s governor, John Winthrop. Winthrop cited the sumptuary laws in declaring Dudley’s house in violation, and ordered the panels removed.
Dudley was so offended by the governor’s actions that he abandoned the colony and returned to England. Through the intercession of mutual friends, he and Winthrop were reconciled and Dudley returned to Massachusetts and eventually served as one of the growing colony’s most capable and influential leaders. The wainscoting was not returned, and the Puritan ethic regarding ostentatious displays of affluence became a part of Massachusetts law. The towns of Massachusetts established the precedence of the community dictating fashion and style of residences within their bounds.