If you would like to read more about privy digging you can check out our new friend’s web blog at http://privydigging.com/
If you have a likely digging site you want to offer him, here is his email contact:
“Privileged” Information
(November 2009)
With a full October moon above and thoughts of fall in the air, inspiration for this article came to us from several directions.
Anthony Green, privy digger, makes discovery in Lexington.
A few days ago a young man, with a recently discovered hidden treasure in hand, came to The Fort looking for information about a long forgotten drug store from the olden days of Lexington’s Main Street. He explained that he had been at work over on Morgan Street where an old house is being updated by the new owners. He was excited to have found his treasure—an antique glass bottle dating from about the 1880’s--while digging in the home’s yard. The bottle had the drug store’s name on it, “Grier and Poor,” and we were able to find a few bits of information for him about the sale of the business in 1876 to Grier and Poor, but no direct information about the druggists.
From The History of McLean County, Illinois
In 1868, Dr. John W. Waters, MD established his present home in Lexington and became a partner with Mr. Reynolds in the drug business, whose entire interest Waters purchased in1871. What is know as the "Smith Block," was built by Dr. Waters, Milton and William M. Smith in 1868 and in 1876, Waters sold his drug Block to Grier & Poor.
As our conversation continued, we learned that Anthony’s avocation and hobby is something new to us—privy digging! “Privy digging is directly linked to antique bottle collecting, but it would seem to be one of the most unpredictable and arduous methods of forming a collection. However, over time literally thousands of intact bottles can be excavated by a single digger. The majority of the bottles will be very common examples and not very interesting to most collectors of rare items. In some areas, such as older cities and towns in the east, bottles from the mid 19th century are dug up sporadically. In other parts of the country it can be difficult to find anything manufactured prior to the 1870s.
Privy diggers often encounter miscellaneous tableware or kitchenware, stoneware, occasionally clay smoking pipes, assorted doll parts, tea set pieces, marbles, buttons, chamber pots, decorative porcelain pot lids and bases used for pomades and skin creams, bone or ivory toothbrush handles, early hard-rubber combs and hair picks, and a variety of other objects which are commonly discovered broken or damaged. All of which were discarded as unusable trash items, except for the occasional things which unintentionally (or perhaps mischievously as in the case of small children, etc.) fell through the opening in the outhouse seat.” (Information copied from Wikipedia)
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If you would like to read more about privy digging you can check out our new friend’s web blog at http://privydigging.com/
If you have a likely digging site you want to offer him, here is his email contact:
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With thoughts of privies in the air, stories and memories began to gather….
From Iowa's Vanishing Outhouse by Bruce Carlson:
The history of the quarter-moon on the door of the outhouse goes way back. Most serious historians who are students of the subject are of the opinion that the custom started in Europe in the 1500s or the 1600s. It was common practice, back then, to identify which outhouse was which by means of a circular symbol on the door of the mens' and a quarter-moon on the ladies'.
The use of symbols rather than words was necessary due to the widespread illiteracy of the times. When a feller can't read and is headed for the outhouse, he sure doesn't need some incomprehensible hieroglyphics on the door to figure out. The circular symbol and the quarter-moon were Europe's version of the Chinese Yin and Yang. The circle was representative of the sun which symbolized masculinity. The more subdued and submissive moon, on the other hand, represented femininity. The use of the circle and quarter-moon was especially common at inns and houses for lodging. Not only was illiteracy a problem, but also the clientele of such places was more likely to be travelers from another country and another language. These universal signs were easy to make and easy to "read", so most such places had the little houses out back so designated, one with a circular sign, and one with the quarter-moon.
So why is the quarter-moon applied in more recent times to outhouses in general? The answer to that apparently lies in the economics of maintaining outhouses. If one of the outhouses at an inn, for example, were to have fallen into a state of disrepair, the solution was often to transfer, if necessary, the quarter-moon onto the surviving structure. It was reasoned that the men could always simply step into the shadows of the trees. An outhouse had to be kept for the ladies, of course, so whatever outhouse fell apart first was automatically the men's. This practice became so widespread that in many cases only a women's outhouse would be available to those who frequented such public places. Since those carried the quarter-moon, that symbol soon evolved into the sign for ANY outhouse, in general, rather than one for ladies only.
Lexington’s own historian, Morris W. Jones, published this outhouse story in his book Stories of the Past and Poetry.
Mr. Jones was remembering local folks from 1875 to 1925 and this tale was part of his saga. “…..Herman Poole was Lexington’s first professional photographer. He was also Lexington’s BIGGEST photographer. He weighed well over 300 pounds! Herman loved to eat and his sweetheart loved to cook. She invited him for a chicken dinner with all the trimmings. Herman ate his fill and lit a cigar. He must have been thinking, “It’s a good world!”
Soon Herman needed to go out to the “powder room” behind the house. It was then that disaster struck. Herman’s weight broke the board seat and his hips jackknifed. He was stuck! Herman’s sweetheart and her mother came to the rescue when they heard his calls for help. The good ladies strained their utmost but it was to no avail. They had to send for the town’s long time police chief, J.B. Clawson, a powerful man in his own right. It is said that J.B. reached in and lifted Herman from his embarrassing position just as easily as if Herman had been a child!”
The outhouse in the story probably survived for years but is more obscure today than poor Herman’s reputation. The old story must have made a lasting impression on many of the folks in town and was told enough to be published in Mr. Jones’ book of the 1970’s!
Again, we prove here that you can find ANYTHING on the internet: Below are a couple of sites where people have related their own outhouse stories, if you care to read more….
Stories and Stuff: http://www.outhousegraffiti.com/oh_stories.html
Outhouse on the Farm: http://www.filbrun.com/stories/outhouse.htm
Enjoy the memories!