of construction is unknown although one theory is that it was part of the 1770 renovations undertaken by John Johnson to welcome his new bride, Polly Watts of New York City.Did George Washington sit here? It is known that George Washington visited Fort Johnson during his tour through the Mohawk Valley at the end of the Revolutionary War. There are many who believe that he might have even visited the privy at some point in his stopover.
“It is probably one of the top five outhouses in America.” according to Rich Strunk of Windy Hill Restorations.
How did the privy get its name?
Early American colonists called it a privy after the Latin privus or private place. Two other transplanted English euphemisms are outhouse, and the noble sounding House of Office. A number of other colorful names have evolved over the years: one-holer, two-holer, backhouse, pokey, loo Dooley, and throne, just to name a few.
Why do privies usually have a crescent moon carved in the door?
The crescent moon carved in privy doors that we associate with outhouses was not only for ventilation but also for identification. Luna, the ancient crescent shaped figure, was a universal symbol for woman and was used for recognition in the days before a majority of the people could read. So, a moon carved in to a privy door served as the common “Ladies Room” sign in early days. For the men, Sol, a sunburst pattern, was cut in to doors to serve as the general “Men’s Room” sign. Over time the men’s privies were used less frequently than the women’s and eventually abandoned altogether while the better maintained ladies privies survived. This is the reason that the moon symbol is commonly seen on outhouse doors.
Where were privies usually located?
Location was an important consideration when placing a privy. The climate, soil conditions, and exposure to public view were just a few of the important considerations. Most privies were lined with wooden boards, bottomless barrels, bricks or stones and dug to a depth of about 3 to 6 feet. These solid liners helped to prevent cave-ins and aided in cleaning. However, in rural areas instead of cleaning, the holes were covered up with dirt and gravel, new pits were dug and the building was moved a few yards upwind of the main house. Privies also could also be located over streams, rivers, ponds, lakes and oceans often using pilings or natural rock formations as supports. The privy here at Fort Johnson, according to an 1880’s sketch, was located above the Kayadarosseross Creek just east of the Fort.
Why was there usually more than one hole in the privy?
Before the days of toilet seats, privies just had holes cut in the board over the pits. Because people of various sizes and shapes used the privies, accommodations had to be made. Most privies had at least one larger hole and one smaller hole for this reason. If families were bigger, it was possible to have more holes of various sizes. The privy at Fort Johnson has two different sized holes.
Picture (to left) of the shell of a 6-hole privy was obliviously built for a large family. Four holes of decreasing size are located on one side, while two small holes are located to the left of the others and half as high obviously to be used by smaller members of the family.
Did privies usually have windows?
Weather was the usual factor in determining if there would be windows in the privy. In colder climates windows were usually only for letting light in and often there was no ventilation because of the cold and snow. Also, it was not uncommon for the exterior walls to be banked with evergreen boughs or straw to help with drafts. These northern climate privies, while warmer in the winter also posed a hazard for summertime occupants when the stifling heat and overwhelming odors might force users to resort to a foot-in-the-door type position to get some relief.
Were there two story privies?
Yes, two story privies were most common in the Midwest area of the country. Harsh winters often left privies unusable because of blowing and drifting snows blocking the doors. The solution was to build two story privies.
Sources: Nature Calls by Dottie Booth and The Vanishing American Outhouse by Ronald S. Barlow
CLICK HERE for pictures on Privy Archaeology during spring 2004.
Photo Gallery of Privy construction.
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