The house I grew up in was built in 1880. It had running water in the kitchen long before a bathroom was added (which was before my time). It also still had (capped) gas jets in the walls for lighting.
Yes. And it built with a neat little 'jog, so there was always cross-ventilation through the 2 little windows. Underneath the 3 holes there was a door on one end and the crap fell into a box that was on a sled that a horse pulled somewhere when necessary.
I guess it wasn't really a wood *shed* -- It was the room off the dining room.
There were 7 fireplace in that house-- 4 downstairs and 3 upstairs. The wood 'shed' was the size of a 2 car garage.
Jim
Running water requires a municipal water pipe to the property. Flush toilets require a municipal sewage pipe away from the property. These are separate pipes. Modern practice for "serviced" land builds both pipes at the same time, but these services were added in the 19th century to properties that had already been built, thus not necessarily at the same time.
Relatively.
That's the image I had for their house. Thanks.
For other readers, there were almost no apartment buildings in Indianapolis, and even poor people had houses or rented them.. There still aren't many apartments. The city wasn't built out that far in 1920, but when it was gettting near, the law prohibited apartment buildings north of 38th St. (and there weren't many south of that street either. ). I think maybe in the 1970's they allowed an aparatment building between 38th and 40th street. Of course this is the north side and my question was about the south side. There must have been some new housing on the south side but I don't remember any. I only had my own car for two summers while my mother lived there.
What's the name of the (relatively) nice apartment building near downtown? Name begins with "E" IIRC. It dates from the 20s? How about the Marott?
20s too?
As far as I'm concerned, Indianapolis stops at 38th Street :)
In 1949. when I was 16, myself and a buddy hitchhiked down from Marion. The ostensible purpose was to go to the state fair but, hey, as long as we were there, might as well go to the Fox (old burlesque house). Unfortunately, it was closed for the summer. Fortunately, the even older Mutual Follies wasn't :)
We're the opposite; well water and city sewer. They wanted to run a sewer l= ine through our land so as part of the deal we got hooked up for free. The = city water line stops at the development over the ridge.
Nah, I don't remember therm.
Just in case, I'm not saying there were no apartments, but nothing like Chicago or NY or even Baltimore and I think DC where loads of people over much of the city lived in 6 apartment buildings or bigger.
LOL. That's where the fairgrounds are. And the TeePee, right next door. Although I think the TeePee is gone. Although2 it still gets a lot of hits, including the TeePee menu.
Hehe. Some time in the 60's my older brother saw a stripper AT the State Fair. At least that's what I was told.
"summer kitchen" by chance? or just a big "mud room". Or was it used to store fire-wood? In which case it was a "wood shed"
Lots of other ways to have either "running water" or "flush toilets"
- and in MANY locations city water was easily supplied, but sanitary sewers would be terribly expensive because the houses were several feet to hundreds of feet lower than the sewage treatment facility.
Oops- *8* fireplaces. the summer kitchen was in the basement. it had gotten muddy in 200 years, but had a flagstone floor under the mud.
This room was built just for firewood. It had a sliding 4' door, and
2" split boards for the floor and walls--- There was some real character in those boards.We always called it the 'wood shed' -- but somehow, today, it seems like 'shed' implies a separate building.
Jim
No, the wood shed was virtually always built on to the house. What you had is definitely a "wood shed".
I didn't know that it was built on to the house. I think one reason for the opposite impression is the expression , "Took me out to the woodshed.", for a whuppin'. Even though the woodshed you describe has a door on the outside, the expression gives the image of walking a distance from the house. "Took me around to the woodshed" would apply to a room built on to the house. So how come people say "out"?
It is outside the "heated envelope" of the house, so in the winter in particular, it is DEFINITELY "out". You go out the back door of the house into the woodshed.
That makes sense. I think my guess about the misimpression among those who don't have one may be right.
My friend moved into his parent's farm house when they passed away. The wood shed was attached to the kitchen and was actually almost twice as big as the kitchen. We dropped the chimney from the old kitchen fireplace into the house then tore down the wall between the kitchen and the wood shed, basically tripling the size of the kitchen.
The old chimney bricks were used to repair the 2 huge stoops on the front and side of the house.
It was a fun project.
There are still houses that have outhouses in the country. A farm house I lived in the 1970s had a real outhouse, but the hole was filled in with dirt. I moved it and turned it into a chicken coop.
In the early 1900s, there may have been a hand pump inside the house. Later a windmill pump or electric one. But that dont mean they always installed a toilet. Some Amish people still build outhouses too. Actually I have a look-alike outhouse. It looks like one but its a shed for garden tools. I just put a moon on the door for fun. So, those that look like outhouses are not always real.
The best outhouse I ever used didn't even have a house.
A friend spent a summer camping on his land while building a cabin. Throughout the summer, friends and family from all over the country came and went, spending a few days or a few weeks, camping and helping with the build.
The land overlooked a valley. My friend build an "outhouse", but didn't build any walls, except for short wall on the back that hid your private oarts from view. You sat on the throne and looked out over the valley. Users approached the "facility" from behind, so you would see the person's head from far off, know that it was being used, and wait your turn.
It was a beautiful view.
You could see by the head someone was on the head, eh?
Yep! ;-)
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