Ye Old Outhouse

Outhouse FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

I love the questions I get in the e-mail from this site - it lets me know I'm not alone in the world when it comes to facination with something as un-glamourous and icky as a biffy. But for all you people who are shy about writing, or too busy to wait for an answer, here's a list of what people write the most:

Q) Why a moon on the door?.....

A) This is the most common question, and I must apologize for giving wrong information to several folks who e-mailed me. Here is the proper story from my favorite book in the world on the subject, "The Vanishing American Outhouse" by Ronald S. Barlow:

...."Vents often doubled as symbols for gender identification. Luna, the ancient crescent shaped figure, was a universal symbol for womankind. A moon, sawed into a privy door, served as the "Ladies Room" sign of early innkeeping days. Sol, a sunburst pattern, was cut into the men's rooom side of the outhouse. These symbols were necessary because in Colonial times only a fraction of our population could read or write.

...As time passed by and frontiers were pushed further westward, the gentleman's restrooms fell into disrepair and eventually were abandoned altogether. Accommodations for ladies were better maintained and this is why the moon symbol remains on many outhouse doors today. Its original meaning, however, was lost to the general population sometime in the mid 1800's."

...In my personal opinion, another reason they would of stayed with the moon over the sun is that it's a whole lot easier to cut a moon in wood than a multipointed star or sun! Especially if you don't have your Craftsman jigsaw to help...

Q) Where can I find a shower curtian with outhouses for my bath?.....

A) I get asked this one all the time. At the moment I don't know of any, and have never seen any. My suggestions are to 1) Make an outhouse quilt to hang over a solid colored liner ( I saw a quilt pattern years ago on e-bay for outhouses, but I don't recall who made it), or 2) get a solid colored liner and paint some on with acryllic paint. With an over head projector this shouldn't be too tricky. You could also try a pale colored cotton fabric and transfer outhouse photos onto it with t-shirt printer transfer paper.

If anyone ever sees one for sale, please drop me an e-mail - I'd love to post the source for everyone.

Q) Where do you find your postcards/collectables, etc?.....

A) There is no easy answer to this one! Most of my collectables (the salt & peppers, banks, etc) I get from E-Bay. It's not cheap when you count postage, but the variety is larger than my wallet! Flea markets and antique shops are much cheaper, but its rare to find something.

Postcards can be bought on-line from e-bay or dealers (see my postcards page for some links. The most fun are postcard shows - check your newspaper, local postcard club, or with your local civic center to see when they come around. Shows are the least expensive, and it's a blast - most dealers have a section dedicated to outhouse cards.

Q) I have an old outhouse on my property I want to get rid of....

A) I get asked about this about twice a year. In the past I did get e-mail from antique dealers who had them for sale - I suggest you call local antique dealers and ask them. I also will gladly post photos on my ads page (free). Occasionally I see them up for sale on e-bay, but they don't seem to sell for much, and shipping could be a major pain.

Q) I need to build a privy. Where do I buy plans?

A) I see them on e-bay on occasion. Lots of older books on vacation homes have directions too. On my Household Discoveries page I've copied, word for word with all the illustrations, a 1908 book's detailed plans for building one.

Q) How (or why) did you ever get into collection outhouses?

A)My long-suffering husband is still asking that question. It started about 6 years ago when my brother said "you got to see this great book I found". It was Ronald S. Barlow's "The Vanishing American Outhouse". I was hooked. He has two pages of postcards in the book, and I just had to get some for myself. Now I'm addicted to outhouses and postcards. Thanks, Mr. Barlow....