PRIVY TO HISTORY: THE INS AND OUTS OF AN OUTHOUSE

A recent newspaper article reported that archaeologists are digging up the probable site of an outhouse located next door to Paul Revere's house in Boston. The privy was in the yard of a house built approximately 1711. Apparently, the site already has yielded bits of glass and pottery. However, no fossilized human excrement yet has been discovered. If such remains do pop up, they could give clues as to colonial diets, wealth of the users and digestive health. The article notes that historically outhouses often served as landfills, coughing up interesting artifacts when excavated.

It seems that analysis of excrement is not limited to probing outhouse contents. Recently, I attended a National Park Ranger lecture about bears. He explained that droppings by grizzly bears, when studied by graduate students, have shown that only about 25% of the berries consumed by the bears actually were digested. The remaining 75% were discharged as whole berries, suggesting a straight pipe phenomenon. Hopefully, samples were collected with caution.

Another article has stated that scientists are still working on how to convert astronaut excrement into a useful product. Apparently, one project seeks to convert astronaut urine into 3-D printable plastics and to nutritional omega-3 fats.** Perhaps, one day in the future archaeologists will be excavating plastic objects from landfills that were made from space flight waste.

Modern wastewater collection and treatment systems may have a disadvantage for historians. Opportunities for discovery of cultural artifacts, dietary clues and socio-economic factors may be limited, compared to the outhouse eras.

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* Kole, "The Old Outhouse: Privy Tied To
Paul Revere Is Excavated", Rapid City
Journal, September 30, 2017, p. C6

**"Waste Makes Haste", Science News,
September 2, 2017, p. 4


© Daniel J. Kucera 2017