Tales from Kentucky One-Room School Teachers by William Lynwood Montell

Author:William Lynwood Montell
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: The University Press of Kentucky

Chapter 7

OUTHOUSES

One-room schoolhouses did not have indoor plumbing. Most schools had outhouses—one for the girls and one for the boys—though in some cases the “outhouse” was simply the great outdoors. Aside from their usual purpose, outhouses, as a few stories below illustrate, played a particularly satisfying role on Halloween.

HIS AND HERS

Peddler Gap School had two outhouses out back. They were state-of-the-art facilities at that time, with moons and a star cut in each side and outdated catalogs for use as toilet paper.

These outhouses, or privies, were marked “His” and “Hers,” and each building was equipped with two seats, [one with] a small hole cut for smaller children, and [one with] a large hole cut for larger students.

If students didn't have a problem with modesty, two students could use these facilities at the same time.

Jimmie Jones, West Liberty, December 29, 2008

THE BOYS' BOOK POLICY

I remember what the policy was when you went to the outhouse. The girls had an outhouse but the boys didn't have one. We went down into the woods and got behind a tree. But when you left the classroom you were supposed to lay a book in the door. I remember that when the bigger boys would go out, they'd slam that book down and make a lot of noise, then they'd go on down behind a tree. When they came back they'd pick up the book. That way you knew someone [had returned from being out].

I don't remember whether the girls did a book in the door or not, but that was the policy the boys used.

J. Robert Miller, Rock Bridge, September 18, 2008

VERY UNSANITARY

One of the neighbors that lived close to the schoolhouse had to pass by the boys' toilet when going to get a bucket of water and taking it back to her house. The big old eighth graders knew about what time she'd come through there. And in those outdoor toilets you had about one and one-half foot of space at the top between the roof and the walls.

About the time she got through there, these boys would urinate through that hole into her water bucket. When that happened, she'd go straight up to the teacher and say, “They've done it again!” [Laughter]

The teacher always wore them out—I mean, wore them out!

Those outdoor toilets were a disgrace; they were awful. They were never cleaned, even though students used the seat, the floor, and everything, when they went to the toilet. Even bees were always flying and crawling around there, and it was just terrible.

When doing number two, you never sat on the lid, just squatted down since you were afraid to sit down because there was urine and feces everywhere.

Pat McDonald, Barbourville, November 21, 2008

OUTHOUSE ACCIDENT

This is a story about what could have been a fatal accident. A little first grader went to the privy or outhouse. We had a note up under the boys' and girls' signs that said “In” and “Out.”

When he went to the privy he was gone a little longer than usual and I was busy.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.