This week in History’s Attic

Outhouses:  you had to know this story was going to happen. BUT we are going to chat about one specific model:  the president endorsed model.

During the President Franklin Roosevelt administration, in 1933 he saw that the US government built through the Works Progress Administration 2.3 million sanitary outhouses across rural America. There was a major push by first lady Eleanor Roosevelt for these to be built. These new structures were Nicknamed. “Roosevelt Outhouse,” “Eleanor,” “Vault Toilet,” and the “Roosevelt Room.” People were very grateful for these newest privies. And many are still found in the rural areas.

The 1930s outhouses had an improved design. It had a concrete slab which served as the foundation of the structure. The pot had a square hole and a wooden seat with a lid that closed so tight flies could not get in. The concrete vault also had a ventilation shaft with screens to keep out the flies. Families could have a one-hole or a two-hole seat for children. These new 1930s outhouses were also built for schools (we had them at Dixon 57 my school at Dixon), filling stations, and tourist camps. For families that could afford to pay for supplies it was about 17 dollars, and the W.P.A. supplied the labor to build them. It took the teams about 3 days to build them, and if the family could not afford the 17 dollars special arrangements were made. They were well ventilated with vents into the vaults. My experience of working with these buildings they had 4-inch wide 3/4 thick clear fir lumber running up and down the sides and a metal roof. The lumber all seemed excellent quality but would guess it was all to government specifications. The rural school outhouses were always targets for Halloween Pranks upset every time and caused considerable work putting back up. I have heard stories of school board members that would put razor blades between the cracks of the boards on the outside to curb the pusher’s — “ouch”!

I think my favorite story on a Roosevelt outhouse was when the Gregory paper was interviewing Frank Sosebe (A cowboy in the 1902 roundup on the Rosebud). After the 1962 tornado (the one that took the oil off Highway 47). It took his two chicken houses, double corn crib, barn, granary, garage, hog house, shed, and shoved the house off the foundation. And the one building he thought seemed losing was the worst. He commented:  “I even lost my Democrat Toilet.”

Author Richard Papousek, January 2024