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One
of East Texas' earliest architectural conveniences is making a comeback
of sorts these days.
The old-fashioned outhouse, which served thousands of rural East Texans
before indoor bathrooms became affordable, has again become fashionable,
but not as a working privy. It is showing up in historical displays,
as art and in advertisements. |
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An
outhouse nearly obscured by bloodweed in the ghost town of Perry
near Marlin
Photo courtesy George Lester |
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A photo of the
outhouse Vursey Bragg built behind her home near Hemphill in 1952
was recently used in home improvement ads by Milwaukee¹s Equitable
Bank.
The bank paid Bragg's granddaughter, Vicki Brucia, $75 for the rights
to use a picture of the privy, which sports the traditional crescent
moon cutout on its door. Vicki rescued the old structure several years
ago and restored it with loving care. She even found a 1952 Sears
and Roebuck, once a substitute for toilet paper, and admits the outhouse
is a working model. The Bragg outhouse is one of several found on
an internet web page devoted to privies throughout America, a sure
sign that the outhouse movement is growing. Vicki said the $75 she
received from the Milwaukee bank is probably a lot more than her grandmother
spent to build her privy a half-century ago.
A few months ago in Houston, I passed through a museum exhibit on
rural America and, sure enough, there was a wonderful collection of
outhouses of all kinds, including some made from brick and stone.
Our favorite outhouse stands on the grounds of the Rusk County Memorial
Library and Museum at Henderson. |
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Arnold
Outhouse on the grounds of the Rusk County Memorial Library and Museum
Photo courtesy Sam Fenstermacher, June , 2006 |
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Arnold
Outhouse historical marker. (Click on photo for close-up of marker)
Photo courtesy Sam Fenstermacher, June , 2006 |
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When the Rusk County Historical Commission announced plans to refurbish
a local outhouse and equip it with an official Texas Historical Marker,
normally sober East Texans were reduced to schoolyard giggles. But
the Commission went ahead with its plans and made the late Victorian,
three-house outhouse, built more than 100 years ago, a "privy to history".
In a sense, the outhouse is right at home. The library site was once
the homeplace of John R. Arnold. It was Arnold who originally built
the outhouse behind his two-story Victorian home.
When Arnold's home was torn down, the old outhouse was moved to a
farm on the outskirts of Henderson. John and Peggy Pride, who owned
the farm, donated the privy to the Historical Commission. |
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Arnold
Outhouse interior
Photo courtesy Sam Fenstermacher, June , 2006 |
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The
outhouse is, pardon the pun, commodious. It measures six by eight
feet in floor space. The steeply pitched tin roof is fourteen feet
high at the peak and includes an awning over the three steps leading
up to the door. The business portion of the outhouse is a simple,
unadorned bench along the back wall. The three holes are side by side,
each covered with a wooden lid. Each hole is a different size designed
to fit.... well, I think you get the idea.
All Things Historical >
June 8-14, 2003 Column
Published with permission
This column is provided as a public service by the East Texas Historical
Association. Bob Bowman is a former president of the Association and
author of nearly 30 books on East Texas. |
Photographer's
Note:
Subject: East Texas Architecture
I've found East Texas to be a place bountiful with upscale architectural
heritage. Take the Arnold Outhouse, located on the grounds of the
Rusk County Memorial Library and Museum at Henderson,
for example. According to the Handbook of Texas, this Victorian deluxe
outhouse was awarded a Texas historical marker, giving Henderson legitimate
claim to fame as the location of the "Fanciest Little Outhouse in
Texas."
I know Mr. Bowman has written about this marvelous work of architecture,
but you really need to see it to appreciate the refined nature of
this early East Texas privy. - Sam Fenstermacher, June 10, 2006
More Texas Architecture
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