Privy to history

Privy to history. Restrooms. , People have always needed places while they are out in public to find relief. Over the past century, the accommodations people have used and systems for removing waste have changed dramatically. , Throughout the 1800s, there were two kinds of towers in most factories. One served as a stairwell and the other had toilets. These toilet towers would drain human waste directly into a canal or other water source nearby. The contamination of local waterways caused significant public health issues, including the spread of Cholera. In the 1880s, Lowell and other cities moved toward municipal systems, favoring sewers over private vaults for waste. , In addition to toilet towers, mill operatives would use privies (outdoors structures located near the boarding houses). At night, some would use chamber pots (indoors) for convenience. Workers from the area would apply for licenses to become "night-soil" men, allowing them to cart human waste out of the city for a considerable fee. In time, this practice became less and less a part of the nightlife of Lowell as more sewers were introduced. , In the 1980s, archeologists conducted digs in what is now Boardinghouse Park. Their investigations of the waste deposited into the soil and the objects people left behind have revealed these and other "private" practices of the past. , These restrooms are operated by Lowell National Historical Park.