Most of the population subsisted as farmers, the drinking water was unsafe, medicine was still in the Dark Ages, and the average lifespan was just shy of 40 years. This building practice was abolished toward the advent of the 1700s due to the susceptibility of fire. Before they were built by stone or brick masonry, homes were small, dank, drafty and made entirely of wood. For the average Bostonian, life in the New England colonies during the 17th century was, as you might’ve guessed, not exactly one of ease and leisure.
