I grew up in North Georgia, near Athens. My grandparents had a whole home fan like what you’re describing. Extremely loud, terrifying as a child. The house is w

I grew up in North Georgia, near Athens. My grandparents had a whole home fan like what you’re describing. Extremely loud, terrifying as a child. The house is well shaded by trees and has a full basement. The basement provides a reservoir of cool air and the fan pulls that air up from the basement into the main area of the house. This solution wasn’t very effective in July and August. My grandmother had A/C installed not long after my grandfather died. Apparently he just refused to accept it as a necessity. It’s interesting though. The principles have been around for a long time. I’ve been told that it’s the reason for very high ceilings in Victorian homes. The idea is that the hot air in the room rises and draws cooler air from beneath the house. In my experience, even with A/C it can be hard to stay comfortable in a house like that during the summer.