Taken from
http://www.loc.gov/folklife/fcn/Spring92.txt :
The individually styled facades may appear quirky to the outsider, but their meaning is revealed through an understanding of the local history. Many of the homes were originally constructed by coal and sawmill companies for their workers. They were often constructed at one time to one homogeneous design. The box or vertical-plank house (cheap, fast to build, and temporary) was one of the most common types put up by area industrialists. Throughout the gorge, whole towns were built with row after row of identical box houses. While the plans varied, the basic construction technique did not. It consisted of vertical boards attached to the sills and plates to form both the interior and exterior walls, as well as the buildings' weight-bearing supports (all posts, studs, and braces were eliminated). Narrow vertical strips called battens were often placed over the spaces left between the boards. Today, West Virginians commonly call box houses "Jinn Linns" (sometimes pronounced "Jenny Lind," "Jinny Lynn," or "Gentle End"). Though box houses are located throughout the Appalachian region, it appears that West Virginia is the only state where the term, in its various forms, is commonly employed. The origin of the term to describe this house type is unclear. However, during the survey, one local resident related a story concerning its etymology. She explained that Jenny Lynn was a coal camp resident. Because all the box houses in her camp looked exactly
the same, she decided to individualize her home by nailing narrow strips over the spaces between the vertical boards, thus creating the board and batten siding characteristic of Jinn Linn houses.
Soon many others followed her example, our informant explained, and eventually named the house type after her.
