Classic Cracker
Found Mostly in Small, Rural Communities in Northern Florida

Magnolias and live oaks dot the landscape of small northern towns, but they also share another fixture: the classic Cracker house. Some are mere shacks with overgrown shrubbery; others have been renovated to restore their original footprint. Rural communities like these drew pioneers with little in their pockets around the turn of the 19th century. They discovered plenty of natural building materials, such as durable cedar, cypress and oyster shells, that aided in building simple Vernacular houses with wood frames and southern Georgia appeal. Architectural details include an elevated first floor (for keeping chickens), tin roofs, high ceilings, horizontal wood siding inside and out, and wraparound porches to provide shelter from the sun.
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A wide-open veranda and shady porch are traditional elements of this classic Cracker farmhouse redo in historic Micanopy.

Price Tag: In northern Florida’s Micanopy, a five-bedroom, four-bath 1900s Cracker handyman’s special runs about $54,000. In nearby Chiefland, a three-bedroom, one-bath is just under $80,000, while a 110-acre working cattle farm with a remodeled two-bed- room, 1 ½-bath home is $1.26 million.