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| Picture courtesy of Wikipedia |
· Outhouses, also called a privy, were
located at the far end of the garden or yard.
Our replica double seat outhouse at Backus-Page House Museum is behind
the house on the east side.
· Outhouses were constructed of wooden walls
and a sloped roof, usually very small in size and there was a gap in the
walls at the top and bottom to allow airflow. Inside was the wooden seat which
resembled a shelf.
· Outhouses were lightweight for easy moving
when the hole was full, and well ventilated, usually with fragrant flowers planted
around it.
· In some areas, pig manure and soiled straw
would be added to the waste piles to help break down the waste material at a
quicker pace.
· When holes filled up, the shelter would be
moved to a new area on the property if the family had the space. After the new
hole was dug, that soil would be used to seal and cover the old existing hole.
If families did not have the luxury of moving the privy, the hole would have to
be cleaned out and taken out of town and then spread over fields. This was a
major problem for people living in densely populated towns, where common
overflowing caused a very unpleasant odor.
· Not until the 1880s and 1890s did North
American plumbing flourish. Up until the
1840s indoor plumbing could be found only in the homes of the rich and in
better, upper class hotels.
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