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Welcome to Writing Rural with Alley. I'm Alley, and this is episode number 21, Toilet Alternatives, part one. Do you know how to reduce the smells coming from an outhouse? What happens when the hole under the outhouse gets full? What does the moon on the door mean? Find out on this episode. You can find this episode's show notes and helpful links. To learn more on my website alleyhart.com. That's alleyhart.com Now on to the show. While no longer common, outhouses are still used in many places in the United States. They can be found in camping areas, Amish farms, older farms, historical sites and more. I remember going to a Girl Scouts camp as a kid and not understanding why the other kids were all scared of them. And I was shocked to learn that they had never used one before. Had they never been to a farm before? Okay, Yeah, I was young. Outhouses were originally invented in the 1500s. An outhouse has four walls with a door and a bench seat with a hole cut into it. This is placed over a large hole, sometimes called a pit. These holes are typically five to six feet deep, but could be more or less. I have mostly seen deeper holes because people do not want to dig giant holes more often than they have to. They can be dug by hand, as the Amish do, or they can be dug with something like a backhoe. Sometimes the holes are dug longer and the outhouse will be longer also. These types will have several holes cut into the outhouse bench so more people can go simultaneously. This is great for potty training kids. I have seen boards cut with smaller holes to go over the larger hole in the bench so that the kids do not fall in the hole when they are small. Most homes only had one outhouse, but schools, hotels and general stores would put two outhouses out with a sun, star or moon cut into the door. The sun or star was the sign for the men's outhouse and the moon was the sign for the women's outhouse. Things your character will need to think about when placed in an outhouse are being downhill of the well and if humanly possible, being downwind of the home or business and not putting a hole where there is a divot in the ground that indicates it might fill with rainwater. Another thing is, most outhouses were built 50 to 150ft away from the home. Your character will want to pick somewhere that is sensible, walking distance from the building. An outhouse understandably smells, more so in the heat and humidity. Some things that people use to help cut down the smell are lime, sawdust, wood ash, straw to help make a film to help reduce flies, vegetable waste, but never meat waste. Side note, lime will burn the skin if your character gets it on the seat and then sits on it. There are some hazards of the outhouse to think about. First are insects and parasites. These include flies, mosquitoes and hookworm. I've seen flies in every outhouse I have been in. They are not afraid to land on you. Mosquitoes can also get down in the waste and lay eggs. They will come up the hole when big enough. Never fun! Personally, I have seen wasps in and personally I have seen wasps in or around most of the outhouses I have used. Another thing is splinters. No one wants a splinter in their backside. Sometimes the outhouses will fill with methane. Sparks, fire, or static electricity could light the fumes on fire. This is why outhouse ventilation is essential. I've seen some leave the door open to ventilate them, but most will have a pipe or a wooden pipe with a covered top a few inches above to keep the rain out. The last is groundwater pollution. Outhouses will need to be downhill or 200ft from a well, stream, or other groundwater source. Outhouse cleaning was done infrequently, but it was done maybe once a month. They would take soapy used dishwater out to wipe down the seat. The cobwebs would typically be knocked out at this time. The only other time I know they were cleaning was if there was poo on the seat. Speaking of poo, let's talk about how people have wiped. Modern outhouses might use toilet paper and throw it down the hole. Things that were used before toilet paper include, but are not limited to rags, leaves, a bucket of water and a sponge, pulp paper, pages torn from catalogs, corncobs, and other plant materials. There was usually a rag for each individual in the home, but that was not always the case. As for the sponge, it was shared with everyone who used the outhouse. It was uncommon to wipe after urinating at the time, and they practiced what we call here as, drip drying. Now I'm sure you're wondering what happens when the hole gets full. Okay, maybe you weren't, but now you are. After time, usually a few years, the hole will fill up. There are two options to deal with this. One, clean it out and use the waste as fertilizer or get rid of it. I have moved buckets from this before and it is disgusting. Feel nauseous just talking about it. The other way was to pick up the outhouse and fill the hole the rest of the way in with dirt. Maybe with the dirt you saved when you dug it, but likely with the dirt coming for the next hole. The reason? Because the outhouse will need to be moved to a new hole so your character will have a place to go. Digging a hole is a physically demanding process. Your character must decide between the physically challenging process of digging a deep hole or the gross process of scooping everything out to clean it.

Fun fact: 5:14

there have been two story outhouses. They were not common and the most well known one is located in Gays, Illinois and was built by Samuel Gimmill. It was built for the apartments on the top floor and the general store on the bottom floor. The outhouse holes were on opposite sides and an inner wall separated the two holes so that all droppings were shielded from hitting those below. Now, for everyone's favorite part, what could possibly go wrong? Well, let me tell you.

Likely to go wrong: 5:43

the outhouse reeks! This is always true, and becoming sick from the smell when a woman is pregnant is very common. Your character left the door to the outhouse open. When they came back there's an animal inside. Here in Tornado Alley, This would likely be a raccoon, opossum, or a skunk. You will need to pick something native to the area where your story has taken place.

Also likely to get wrong: 6:06

A fly or mosquito that has been in the hole flies up the hole and lands on your character as they're doing their business. This is gross and no one wants mosquito bites in their underwear regions.

Possible to get wrong: 6:18

some teenager decides to play a prank on your character and knocks the outhouse over while they're inside or blocks the door so they can't get out. This is never fun for the person inside, and being trapped can cause a person to panic. someone comes to visit your character or your character is the one visiting and has no idea how the outhouse works. They might not know what their rag or sponge is for.

Unlikely to get wrong: 6:42

Your character placed the outhouse too close to the well and contaminated the well water. This will cause bacterial illness in anyone who drinks the water. Signs could be diarrhea, fever, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, and more depending on the type of illness they get.

Also unlikely to get wrong: 6:59

Your character cleans out the hole of the outhouse. While taking the waste out, they get hookworms, E. Coli or hepatitis. The era you are writing will determine if antibiotics or other treatments are available. Improbable, but technically still in the realm possibilities. The outhouse fills with methane gas and your character walks in carrying a lantern or maybe smoking a cigarette and lights the gas on fire, causing an explosion. They could have singed hair, or it could be a full explosion that ends in injury or death. Also improbable, but technically still in the realm possibilities. Your character uses an old outhouse and gets several splinters in their backside. When they stand, it looks like they set on a wooden cactus. This sounds painful, especially when they go to sit down. Again, thanks for listening. Subscribe and Follow for more Episodes. A new episode comes out every Monday. Until then, happy wordsmithing.