Southerners figured out how to deal with the heat a few hundred years ago; that’s why their architecture usually has 12-foot and 14-foot ceilings. It’s basic physics: heat rises. Toss in some ceiling fans (yes, they had those before electricity), and add a couple transoms to circulate that heat out of the house, and you have a tolerable home.
Here is some “basic physics” for you. Hot air rises. Heat doesn’t rise. It radiates in all directions.
Some poor servant pedals all night?
You forgot the big shade trees planted on the south and west sides of the house.
Just so.
My DC high school was built in 1890 with heavy masonry walls, high ceilings with very tall double hung windows. When the temperature rose, we used window poles to lower the top pane to help exhaust the heat collected at ceiling level. All in all comfortable but for a few days in DCs hot and humid climate. Had zero mechanical ventilation. Lighting was at at much lower level than modern schools with hallways dim by today’s standards...very little heat gain from incandescent lights...
How did they work? Simply whatever motion the breeze would impel, or some mechanical means?