Outhouses

Outhouses. . , Outhouses, sometimes referred to as "backhouses" or "privies", were once a common sight across America. Made from a variety of materials and from various designs, outhouses functioned as restrooms for those who did not have indoor plumbing. Usually these structures were built at some distance from the main house or building they served. Often a source of pranks and practical jokes, the outhouse was also the subject of humorist Chic Sale's book, The Specialist, and a poem by James Whitcomb Riley., Outhouses played a role in the nation's economic recovery during the Great Depression. In 1935, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) authorized a program whereby outhouses would be constructed through a partnership with county health departments. WPA workers often traveled to a house or farm, poured a concrete foundation, then built the structure above. This program coincided with a national movement to educate the public about the spread of infectious diseases such as typhoid fever and dysentery, while eliminating unsanitary privies. WPA outhouses were designed to allow for more ventilation in the structure, with a closable lid above the hole and concrete pits that could be drained so that waste would not contaminate nearby ground water. In all, the WPA was responsible for constructing more than 2 million outhouses across the country., This WPA outhouse was built for the Herren family in Salt Creek Township sometime after 1935. It later was moved to the Community Building located in the former Central School. It was donated to the museum by Miles Hartman and family in 1999.