Arnold Outhouse
The outhouse was the place to go, literally. Before the invention of the toilet and sewage systems, the outhouse was a part of everyday life. The separate little building was far from the house for obvious reasons. Some were plain, and some were quite elaborate. Some outhouses featured one hole, some two, and others up to six or more.
There are even a few multistory outhouses still around. Many names, such as the Johnny, Biffy, Chic Sales, Back House, Little House at Back, Dry Closet, The Library, Dooley Donnicker, The Necessary, and the popular Privy, all identified the outhouse.
In the summertime, the outhouse was a place a person did not want to stay too long, and in the winter, well, the wooden seat was just plain cold. Most had a lime bucket to help with the fragrance, and an old Sears and Roebuck or Montgomery Ward catalog was there, but it was not just for reading.
They were popular because they were printed on wood pulp and had the best texture. Although it is said that corncobs were used in the outhouse, this was not very often.
Today, an outhouse can be viewed at many museums as a display to show how people lived back in earlier times; however, they are not func tional. Yet, there are a few around that are still in use.
The Arnold Outhouse, located on the museum grounds, is one of the fancier ones to be found. The three-hole building is a late Victorian outhouse built by John R. Arnold in 1908. One of the unique things about this particular outhouse is that it originally stood on the grounds of the museum. When the grounds were donated as a library or museum, the outhouse was removed in 1967 to prevent it from being torn down. In 1984, it was moved back to the grounds near the original site and restored.
The three openings of different sizes could accommodate different bottom sizes, the smallest of which was used by the children. The covers still have the original knobs. A lime bucket, Sears catalog, and corncobs can be found inside to show how the interior of the little building would have looked when it was in use.
The Arnold Outhouse has a Texas Historical Commission Marker.