Look at the history of the two countries, one near neutral and the other forever at war or some kind of turmoil. It is know that buildings locally were taken down and moved for fear of raiding, plundering and just plain mayhem, one example I know of, a barn moved from the coast to a more inland site to avoid the threat from the British around 1812. On my property there is a story passed on about the family that settled here, there is still lilac, apple trees, house cellar and other stone remnants on my blueberry fields. The family wanted to get as far from the coast as possible, he was in the navy during the revolution. I can just see the coast from the top of my roof.
"In America, a frame is a thing of pure utility" Yes, I would agree. In addition they had a different setting to deal with and perhaps did not have the time to perform time consuming "....is hewn to very precise dimensions" type of joinery. I am suggesting they didn't have a choice, to make pretty, it was a utility thing and necessary.
