Outhouses

Outhouses. Built: Early 1930s Moved: 1982; 2004. , Before Privacy , Families with no indoor plumbing used unsanitary pits or cesspools to take care of business. These small wooden outhouses provided a marvelous modern convenience -- for the 1930s that is. Outhouses, or privies, were private and protected their users from the elements. People used indoor chamber pots for middle of the night 'emergencies.' , Public Health Concerns , Early outhouses atop shallow trenches posed public health problems. When the pit became full, families just picked up their outhouse and placed it above a new trench. These early simple outhouses had inadequate ventilation, dirt floors and large gaps between the wallboards. Poorly constructed privies allowed flies, mosquitoes, rats and other rodents to spread germs. Improperly dug pits contaminated the groundwater and nearby waterways that also served as drinking water sources. , A Pair of Potties , Note the similar design and construction of these WPA government issue outhouses. The outhouse with the split door came from the original site of the Moore House property but was built for a later owner. The other outhouse also came from the Pinellas Peninsula. , A Peek at the Privy , With a concrete foundation and improved ventilation, this WPA commode provided comfort and cleanliness not found in earlier models. When replaced, older outhouses in rural settings often became mini storage sheds. , Government Issue Privies , During the 1930s, the federal government worked to improve rural living conditions through the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The WPA worked with the Public Health Service to construct more than 2,000,000 "sanitary privies" throughout the United States between 1933 and the early 1940s. Families paid the cost of materials, usually $15 - $30, and the government provided skilled carpenters, cement finishers and laborers to erect the outhouse., A Work in Progress , During the Great Depression, under President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the federal government expanded its role to improve rural living conditions through the WPA. The program put many skilled craftsmen back to work. During the 1930s, the WPA constructed or improved more than 2,500 hospitals, nearly 6,000 school buildings and almost 13,000 playgrounds. , Tidbits from Time , The Sun and the Moon , Outhouses usually had a crescent moon or sunburst cut on or above the door. These were universal symbols for women (moon) or men (sun) at a time when many people could not read. The carved shapes also allowed light to shine into the dark privies. People avoided bringing lanterns or candles into outhouses because of the fire hazard. Imagine having to visit this outhouse during a heavy rain or cool winter evening!