Wallace Ashby

Born in 1890, Wallace Ashby was an American writer and agricultural engineer whose published work focused on farmhouses, farm buildings, and rural housing. Records from library and archival sources connect him with titles such as Farmhouse Plans, Modernizing Farmhouses, and Modern Farm Buildings, showing a career centered on practical design and construction for rural life.

Archival material from Iowa State notes that William Wallace Ashby taught agricultural engineering there in 1913–1914 before leaving for another position. Later publications identify him with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Bureau of Agricultural Engineering, where he is credited in works on farmhouse repairs, structural planning, and wind-resistant building methods.

His books were written to be useful first and foremost: straightforward guides for improving homes, outbuildings, and everyday farm living. That mix of technical knowledge and plainspoken purpose makes his work a revealing snapshot of how agricultural experts of his era tried to modernize rural America.