"Outhouses and water pumps?" Topic

I have Hovels buildings including outhouses and water pump with trough. How were they placed in relation to a house during the ACW? I assume you would not want the outhouse near ground water source. I have not found any pictures in a limited search. Thank you.

Outhouse should be "downstream" or downhill of the house, but not too far as one would have to be able to walk there at night to use the facility.

Jim

Pump would be near the kitchen door, while the outhouse would be farther away. And downhill, as Jim said.

The outhouse would always be in the back yard, often hidden by shrubs or blinds with a garden between it and the house [when possible with flowers to hide the smell…] The pump would always be readily accessible and usually in the front of the house.

Thank you for your help. Now I need to plan gardens and blinds to add to my terrain features. I need to look at ACW photographs more carefully for detail.

but not too far as one would have to be able to walk there at night to use the facility.

At night they used chamber pots.

Or 2-1/2 gallon buckets with water in them.

Outhouse behind the barn…

Guys would only walk to the outhouse for number two.

But then that was in the 1950s-60s…

At night they used chamber pots.

That depended on how much room they had in the farm house… There could be a cabinet for a pot in a corner--usually for the men. I've seen one recently that was used as a linen closet. The owner didn't know why the varnish in the inside back and sides of the cabinet were so degraded when the front was in perfect condition…

I suspected there could be an interesting story or two in asking this question.