We had a WPA Toilet built during the mid 1940's. To us, it was quite a step up from the old outhouse with board seats which often put a splinter where it was not too easy to remove. Most outhouses had only one hole, but others had from two to three holes. Large holes were made for the adults and a small one was made for the children. I vividly remember waiting for the WPA (Works Progress Admin) men to come to our farm to build a new Eleanor design FDR toilet. We were as excited as one would be now with a newly remodeled bathroom. We had to furnish the material for the building itself, but the Government furnished the one piece cement floor and molded seat with an attached hinged wooden lid. Dad hand dug a deep hole and the concrete toilet base and building was set on top of that. We lived on sandy land and had a problem with the dirt caving in. After having many problems with cave-ins, Dad took a bunch of old auto tires and lined a deep hole with them. It worked very well. Toilets were set close to the house for convenience, but placed in a spot as obscure as possible. Ours sat back into a row of cedar trees. Most doors, as well as ours, had a small block of wood secured with one big nail to keep the door closed. Some fancier ones had a door knob. A nail hook usually was used on the inside to prevent someone from accidentally walking in on the occupant. One always checked for uninvited house guests, namely spiders and snakes. Lime was often poured down the holes for preventing bad odors and insects. Of course, the old Sears and Montgomery Ward catalogs served as toilet tissue. The yellow pages went first as they were the softest. One could spend time looking and enjoying the old wish book while using the facility, especially in good weather. A quick sprint was often made to the outhouse in the winter time and one never had to worry about waiting in line. Most people kept a "pot" for winter use in their bedrooms and some had one in the house all of the time. Those vessels had to be dumped often though. Mama and Daddy used old Folgers coffee cans and tossed them away when they emptied a can of coffee and opened a fresh one. I will always remember the old outhouse which served us so well, but I am happy that we have the indoor bathroom conveniences of today.

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Created December 26, 2020

Updated: 14 June, 2021

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