What is this building?

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Manalto
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What is this building?

Post by Manalto »

This wee building sits at the back of the property (there's a lane/alley just behind it) behind my house (1918). Do you know what it was originally built for? (or if it's original) It's not connected to the (crumbling) garage behind it; there's a narrow passageway to the lane.

ImageOuthouse or by James McInnis, on Flickr

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GibsonGM
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Re: What is this building?

Post by GibsonGM »

1) Privy? Any sign of that function?

2) Garden shed, and someone made it pretty with the lattice windows later on...

Where are you located? That might give a clue...

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Manalto
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Re: What is this building?

Post by Manalto »

Gulf Coast Alabama. I thought it was a privy too, but I wasn't able to get inside (there was no key and the closing was after I returned to Connecticut) to see if there were any clues that it was an outhouse. Then I noticed it's sitting on a concrete slab - that doesn't look 100 years old. Could it be for coal? Does that make sense so far from the house? (The house has shallow fireplaces, which I assume were originally for coal.)

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Nicholas
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Re: What is this building?

Post by Nicholas »

My first thought was privy also, because of the venting. What is left of my outhouse has a concrete floor but is a lot smaller, and is not a raised pad like that. The concrete could have been a later improvement, but concrete was around since the days of the Roman Empire. The raised pad on your building does tell another story, something had to be kept dry.

The mix of siding is interesting, could be a clue, leftover original siding from the main house?
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Kashka-Kat
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Re: What is this building?

Post by Kashka-Kat »

Its not uncommon that former homeowners made an effort to repurpose the outhouse, turn it into a garden shed or something, which may or may not have involved moving it. I still occasionally see some of these outhouse/sheds around that are still standing - usually on farms.

If it is (was) an outhouse, its a very handsome one - w/lattice and 2 types of siding. If Im not misaken your house was/is a rather grand one, so it stands to reason that the outhouse would have been quality-built as well :-) On the other hand, if they were wealthier folks, would they have bothered with an outhouse at all? Werent indoor toilets pretty common by the beginning of the 1900s? Maybe it was for the "help" to use.

Maybe you could find some old pics that might offer a clue.

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Gothichome
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Re: What is this building?

Post by Gothichome »

Looks like just a simple shed to me.

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Manalto
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Re: What is this building?

Post by Manalto »

Kashka-Kat wrote: If I'm not mistaken your house was/is a rather grand one...


You're mistaken! LOL It was originally only one room deep with a wraparound porch and a kitchen el in the back. I'll learn more when I get down there (the president of the historical commission is the town librarian) but my understanding is that the town saw its heyday during WWII and after, fueled by shipbuilding. It was decidedly blue collar, and most of the houses date from that era. This predates the boom (such as it was; shipbuilding ceased here in the 70s) so it would be interesting to learn a little history about it.

Kashka-Kat wrote: Maybe you could find some old pics that might offer a clue.


I'm going to try by speaking to the aforementioned librarian. The canopy over the front door is almost certainly a replacement; it would be nice to know what the original looked like and maybe even reconstruct it.

Gothichome wrote:Looks like just a simple shed to me.


You're probably right. Any building in that climate is better off ventilated.

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Mick_VT
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Re: What is this building?

Post by Mick_VT »

I'm thinking it may be a former chicken coup
Mick...

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Manalto
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Re: What is this building?

Post by Manalto »

For politically-inclined chickens! That would explain the ventilation and the distance from the house. I like your theory, and wonder if I'll get a definitive answer when I ask the local historians.

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Re: What is this building?

Post by Mick_VT »

Manalto wrote:For politically-inclined chickens! That would explain the ventilation and the distance from the house. I like your theory, and wonder if I'll get a definitive answer when I ask the local historians.



oops- lol!
Mick...

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