A lot of words aren’t needed to describe an outhouse door or where it leads to.
“Many homes did not get running water installed until as late as the 1950’s in Horry County. This one features the new sanitary concrete basin that was introduced in the 1930’s.”
Where did I run across an outhouse this week? Three friends and I had a very nice adventure traveling to nearby Conway, SC, and visiting L. W. Paul Living History Farm.
If you have ever wondered about SC farm life in the 1900’s, this is a great place to get a glimpse of what it was like. There are animals to be tended, sugar cane to be harvested and processed, meals to be cooked, clothes to be washed, and even a small church to attend.
Have you ever seen or used similar facilities? The only one that I remember was at the building/property somewhere in Lydonville, VT, where we had the Sweet Family Reunion when I was very young. Just checking this one out makes me very appreciative of today’s modern facilities. 🚽
Linked to Norm Frampton’s Thursday Doors, March 1, 2018 where he has some beautiful church doors. Norm covers the classy doors, and I provide the gritty ones. 🙂
Looking for a place to grab lunch before or after a visit? We ate at the Trestle Cafe and Bakery in Conway. I didn’t take a photo because I was too busy enjoying my lunch – fruited chicken salad on in-house fresh-baked sour dough bread with home-made potato chips. Excellent, and the bill was $6 and change.
That’s a great door, Judy. I have gone through one on official business, when I was a kid on vacation in Virginia.
I have to say, seeing the phrase: ” life in the 1900’s” makes me feel a little old 😦
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Admitting I’d gone through a similar door made me feel the same way. 🙂
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A lot of Adirondack “camps”–rustic, seasonal dwellings, for hunting or whatever–have outhouses. It’s a point of pride to keep them smelling clean!
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Interesting. I didn’t know that. 🙂
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we have one very like this one in our Manatee Historical Village here in Bradenton. I lived with one in Sloans Valley KY from 1957 to 1959.. out door potty and also hauled our drinking water.
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We used to be made of stronger stuff didn’t we. Now, at the flip of a handle we collect water or flush waste. 🙂
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Wow! Lunch sounds good. And what a price! As for outhouses…we had a two seater in the shed attached to the old farmhouse where I grew up. Old timey efficiency?
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You made me smile thinking about the two seater. I’ve seen one, but I don’t think I ever shared the facilities with someone. 🙂
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Working in rural Africa I have come across and used many pit latrines like this one. The best are called VIP latrines – ventilated improved pit latrines. A black tube chimney comes out of the pit. It heats up in the sunshine and hot air rises, creating ventilation. There is a hat on the chimney to keep rain out and to fit a fly screen. But I digress, great photo. What are the objects attached to the wall? Corn cobs for cleansing purposes?
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Ventilation is always a good thing. 🙂 Yes, that basket had wicked looking corn cobs that I guess they used back in the day. I’d heard of leaves and paper, but I wasn’t aware of these being used. Made me uncomfortable just looking at them.
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Ahhhh, memories. When I was a kid in the 50’s, we went to Squantz Pond State Park in Connecticut. There was a great lake for swimming with a grassy area set up with picnic tables and stone fireplaces. Lots of fun….until you had to “go”! That meant trekking up a bit of a hill, located a considerable distance from the lake (hmmmm, wonder why!) and using the two-seater outhouse. And all too often there was no ‘Charmin’ in sight, so you got used to making that trek carrying your own roll of toilet paper! Ewwwww, so embarrassing and gross! Lol.
Lunch for $6 and change?? You definitely should have memorialized this place on film!
•••Ginger•••
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Great memory. I can visualize you carrying this TT with you up the hill, and there weren’t even any backpacks in our day. 🙂 Yes, that lunch was delicious.
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Very charming and quaint to look at from the outside, but can you imagine using one in really cold weather? – or having to wait in line behind family members? Yikes!
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For that wonderful, amazing, large family of yours, you’d need separate male and female houses, and you’d need a two seater in each. 🙂
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Enjoyed our day all over again, thanks
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We still have an outhouse at the cabin in Wyoming, although it’s not really used anymore. That reminds me that this summer I should take a look and see about cleaning it up a bit. But if the water’s off at the cabin for some reason, it could come in handy. Really does make one appreciate today’s conveniences, that’s for sure, especially in winter, at night, or in bad weather.
janet
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It’s always good to have a backup plan. 🙂
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My Mom can identify with these pictures. 🙂 My Dad often says how he “saved” her when they got married, for he did have indoor plumbing. 🙂
I am very thankful for the luxury of indoor plumbing today!
Sounds like you had a very good 6 dollar lunch, and change yet! Good deal! 🙂
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I think one could say ‘she married up.’ 🙂
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Nice finding Judy!
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Good post Judy. Growing up in the city I’m a bit too young to have had to use a residential outhouse, but I have used pit toilets dozens of times on backcountry canoeing and camping trips.
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I remember my aunt and uncle having an outhouse on their farm when I was young. I also remember always being grateful when we went home and I could use our inside bathroom.
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That’s for sure. 🙂
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In the 70s my sister homesteaded in Maine. No running water and an outhouse….even in winter 😮 …so not fun!
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Oh my, I bet those winter trips were really quick. 🙂
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I used to take the cat with me to sit on my lap – lol!
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Love that memory. Still smiling. 🙂
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I love outhouses that have some lime in them. I dated a guy who had one in the backyard in the 90s, and that was all he had as far as potties went. I’ve used them a lot at camping events at summer camps etc.
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An outhouse in the 90’s at least might have had a few amenities like tissue, deodorizer, and Purell. Very interesting. 🙂
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Nah, it had toilet paper and a seat. Eventually when he built an indoor one, the outhouse became a chicken coop, which was a very bad idea.
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Oh my, the poor chickens, but I like his repurposing. 🙂
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I don’t think it was well-thought-out. The chickens were given to someone else fairly soon.
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When I came to Australia in the 70s a lot of country homes still had outhouses ….. Some with signs saying “Look out for RedBack spiders!” Not a great way to start!
Your meal sounded lovely … Freshly baked bread is always a winner for me.
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The door of the outhouse maybe very important at certain times:):) They have places here who have their own well. It’s kind of in vogue again with the millenials here. One my daughters lives in a house wit a well. She grew up in the city, but now keeps a family farm:)
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Love it. In NH, all kinds of storms cause interruptions to various resources, and I’ve always thought an outhouse on the edge of the property backing up to the woods might come in handy. 🙂
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I like the way you think!!
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By the way, thank you for all your kind comments last week on this blog (which is my other blog). I ran out of time, because I was not used to logging in and out of two emails, and logging in and out of two wordpress blogs (it took sooo much time, but now I’ve memorized it – so hopefully I can handle this), Jesh StG
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When I was little, my grandparent’s ‘camp’ was in Clarion, PA. Oh how I loved to go there! It was an old schoolhouse! So if you picture a schoolhouse with the raised area at the far end, that is where our beds were, four or five of them with curtains separating the sleeping areas. When you walked in the kitchen area was to the right and the seating / living area to the left.
And to go to the bathroom, the outhouse was WAY out back in the yard next to the woods.
A little scary for a young girl at night time 🙂
So yep, I am familiar with an outhouse as well as our family collecting fresh spring water to drink and never worrying about it at all.
A highway was going to come through and they sold the place 😦
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What a wonderful childhood memory, and they call that progress.
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Oh my, can u imagine on a freezing cold morning??!! Brrrr🤗. Great choice Judy
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I remember when my Grandmas got indoor plumbing! And a small bathroom was installed! Hallelujah! There were many times, as a young child, I did not look forward to visiting Grandma as I disliked going outside to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night!
Great capture! And thanks for the childhood memories!
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This door might be “gritty,” but it’s a mighty fine door in times of need. Nonetheless, I must say I’ve never been in an outhouse I didn’t want to get out of as fast as possible. I do remember those outhouse spiders — always an incentive to speed. A very worthy Thursday door!
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Yes, I’ve used an outhouse– when I was a very little girl at a great aunt’s farmhouse. I was scared I’d fall in, but my mother assured me that she wouldn’t let go of me. Hadn’t thought of that experience in decades! Great photos.
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I’m smiling as I remember the same feeling about falling in. 🙂
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Great door! I’ve heard Sears Catalogs were much better than corn cobs!
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When I looked at those cobs, my mind went right to Sears Catalogs too. Although I prefer a nice soft Charmin, those pages sure would have been nicer than those cobs. 🙂
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Oh! The wasps! They were so mean when we ‘had to go’ at grandma’s! She was always saying if we leave them alone, they’ll leave us alone. Not. Very glad she had a bathroom added on in the 70’s!!
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As if it wasn’t bad enough, you also had the privilege of getting stung. Oh my gosh. 🙂
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They don’t die after stinging either! Ornery buggers!
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Great door and question it brought back memories of my childhood. We had 30 acres in Gold Rush country that was mostly undeveloped. There were some old, dilapidated houses on it, and two old mines. We camped there often while my parents dreamed of building their dream house there. My Dad dug out a latrine and made a crude shelter for us to use while there.
They divorced when I was 18 and sold the property without ever realizing the dream home unfortunately.
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Two old mines must have been pretty interesting for you kids, but I’m guessing you were always anxious to back to the porcelain in your home bathroom. 🙂
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Not unless port-o-potties count. Judy, on the other hand, used an outhouse when she visited her grandmother in South Dakota. The grandmother was a stern old Lutheran who thought that indoor plumbing was an extravagance. Judy remembers grabbing a handful of dill on her way out to relieve herself and holding it to her nose.
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A very good use for dill and pretty ingenious. 🙂
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I’m very familiar with these facilities. My mother’s (very rural) family home never had any kind of plumbing. Water for the kitchen was carried inside by the bucket load and the family of 11 enjoyed a “two-hole-er” 😳 outhouse. That’s the way it was until the house burned down in the 70’s.
This one is a beauty!!
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The only outhouse I’ve heard about from anyone in person is my MIL talking about growing up out in rural Indiana. She has told me many, many times how clean her mother kept the outhouse. This makes sense, because she keeps all the inside spaces clean, too. I’ve never understood the magnitude and importance of this comment over the years. I guess not everyone kept a clean outhouse.
Anyway, I’m glad for indoor plumbing, especially in the night, when pregnant, and when sick. I didn’t always make it to the dorm bathroom when I was sick, heaven only knows how I’da coped with an outhouse!
You know what always gets me about ‘yore’? Washing machines. Mercy, life with eight kids and I bet the only time they stopped washing clothes was when they cooked!
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They were doing an exhibit the day we were there washing clothes with two buckets and then hanging on the line. However, I saw this huge, and I mean huge, metal bowl type thing that I thought maybe they used for making cane syrup or wine. Only, they told me that was what they heated water in and washed a ‘load’ of clothes in. You are right – they probably only stopped washing to cook and get more energy to go back at it. Thank you for all of my appliances including the porcelain bus. 🙂
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When being child, we had outhouse. Great post and gorgeous photos.
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