[MassHistPres] Town Hall privy

[Suanna Crowley]

Privies are a special kind of time capsule that can provide a wealth of data. As subsurface archaeological features, they are known for their preservation potential and layered (stratified) components that may offer important historical and cultural information.

There are special considerations for excavating them, to be sure. But this may be an opportunity for the community to learn more about its own historic trajectory, if privy pits are still associated with the structure or elsewhere on the property.

Kind regards,
Suanna Crowley


Suanna Selby Crowley, PhD, RPA | she, her, hers

Lead Archaeologist  |  Geoarchaeologist

SWCA Environmental Consultants

Amherst, MA, 01002

________________________________
From: MassHistPres <masshistpres-bounces at cs.umb.edu> on behalf of Dennis De Witt via MassHistPres <masshistpres at cs.umb.edu>
Sent: Thursday, January 23, 2025 11:03 AM
To: mjtubin at verizon.net <mjtubin at verizon.net>
Cc: MHC MHC listserve <masshistpres at cs.umb.edu>
Subject: Re: [MassHistPres] Town Hall privy

Mike

I suspect that privy may be older than you think and the addition may just have incorporated it.  The ca. 1896 Metropolitan Water Works photos of buildings demolished or moved for the Wachusett Reservoir often show privies, many with vent stacks, added to the backs of buildings — sometimes multi-story arrangements.  There are also a couple of MWW photos of sites in the metro Boston area thru the early ‘20s showing privys.  (I even know of what I think is a single story privy shed that seems to have survived on the back of two unit building in Brookline.)

Attached are some photos.

Dennis DeWitt
Metropolitan Waterworks Museum

PS: and BTW, I have discovered that Boston once had iron Parisian type pissoirs

School with two story privy ca. 1896
[YES.MWW_N_00956..rear of sch w privy tower.jpeg]

Two houses with two story privys
[MWW_N_00212.jpeg]

Houses with attached privy
[?.MWW_N_01810..outhouse "wing".jpeg]

[MWW_N_02053.jpeg]

[MWW_P_00281.jpeg]

Vented privy off barn
[MWW_N_02225.jpeg]

privy off attached barn
[MWW_N_02281.jpeg]

[MWW_N_01758.jpeg]






On Jan 23, 2025, at 1:28 PM, Michael Tubin via MassHistPres <masshistpres at cs.umb.edu> wrote:

Mike
if the privy is excavated, based on artifacts/trash you may be able to determine how long it has been there---a little gross but may provide some answers




Regards,
Michael

From: MassHistPres <masshistpres-bounces at cs.umb.edu<mailto:masshistpres-bounces at cs.umb.edu>> On Behalf Of augiedef--- via MassHistPres
Sent: Wednesday, January 22, 2025 12:11 PM
To: masshistpres at cs.umb.edu<mailto:masshistpres at cs.umb.edu>
Subject: [MassHistPres] Town Hall privy

I’m looking for any advice or suggestions regarding how the Brimfield Historical Commission might be able to address an issue with a potentially historic feature of our Town Hall. There is currently a project underway to develop plans to renovate the building and add on a new addition. As part of the project, the existing 1932 addition to the building will first be demolished because of structural issues. We accept that premise. However, that addition includes a 2-seat privy, a feature which I imagine not many Town Halls in the state share. We would like to see it kept and relocated somewhere in the renovated building, given its uniqueness. The design folks and building committee say that they can save the privy and then we can do what we want with it but they won’t include it in the renovated building because it’s not part of the original 1878 construction. Given that in 1932, indoor plumbing was becoming fairly common, I question if the privy was a new feature at that time or whether it already existed on the property and was just moved into the 1932 addition. I can’t find any plans or documentation that provide information on that 1932 addition that would help to understand its provenance.. Is this a reasonable “battle” to pursue or should we just make the assumption that it was new in 1932 and find a different location if we vote to keep it.

I should also mention that this is still in the design stage and no official town vote has yet been taken to actually move forward.

Mike DeFalco
Brimfield Historical Commission

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