According to Grandma they did. And she saw the first outhouse built on 
their farm in 1912 -- before that -- it was just out behind barn or the 
inhouse "jar." I still have the my other Grandma's split drawers.

Barbara Vines Little, CG
Dominion Research Services
PO Box 1273
Orange, VA 22960

540-832-3473 (7-10 p.m.; all day Sunday)
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CG, Certified Genealogist, is a service mark of the Board for Certification of Genealogists, used under
license by board certified genealogists after periodic evaluation, and the board name is registered in the
US Patent & Trademark Office. 



Lonny J. Watro wrote:
> Corn husks! Right? That old discarded corn cob at the out house must 
> have had some purpose. And for the life of me, I never could fathom 
> using the old dried out cob. I figured they used the husks. In the 
> woods, I would hope they knew what poision ivy, oak and sumac looked 
> like. Yikes! And in the early 1900's did they really did use the pages 
> of the Sears Roebuck Catalog?
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Selby, John" <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Tuesday, May 01, 2007 2:17 PM
> Subject: Re: Before the Portable Toilet
>
>
> While the discussion has been informative, there must have been
> considerable folk wisdom concerning the best leaves for cleaning, what
> insect havens to look for, what to do in the winter, and so on.  Do
> readers of this list know of books, perhaps from European history, that
> cover these matters in detail?
>
> John Selby
> Roanoke College
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Discussion of research and writing about Virginia history
> [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Brent Tarter
> Sent: Tuesday, May 01, 2007 10:36 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Before the Portable Toilet
>
> I noticed yesterday that in preparation for the Thursday visit of Queen
> Elizabeth to Richmond the grounds staff has placed more than 75 bright
> blue and green portable toilets in Capital Square, where a large crowd
> is expected. They add a dash of color to the scene, but I am not sure
> that on they whole they classify as a thing of beauty and a joy forever.
>
> I wonder, though, for all the centuries before portable toilets, what
> corresponding preparations got made for large, protracted gatherings of
> people at such events as revival meetings, political rallies, and the
> like. Several thousand people spent the day on Jamestown Island in May
> 1857 celebrating the first settlement of the colony, for instance, but
> accounts of that event that I have seen  mention speaking and eating and
> drinking but nothing else.
>
> I suppose that people researching such events may have encountered some
> references to that important subject, even though once upon a time it
> might have been regarded as improper to mention it. Students of social
> history or public health may also have knowledge of this subject, but I
> confess that I do not recall seeing any references at all.
>
> Perhaps somebody out there can satisfy our purely empirical curiosity
> about that part of the past.
>
> Brent Tarter
> The Library of Virginia
> [log in to unmask]
>
> Visit the Library of Virginia's Web site at http://www.lva.lib.va.us
>
>