Is that an Outhouse on top of hill?

Question

Henry Conrad Ruf (1867 - 1922) 

Answer 1

Could be. A double seater, maybe? Would be awfully hard to get to in Winter with snow and ice. I’d rather just pee out the back door. (A country boy, don’t ya know?)

Answer 2

Interesting photo!

Normally, an outhouse would be situated "downwind", and lower than the primary water source. Judging by the general shape and size, my gut instinct is that it is either an entrance for a root cellar, or a simple storage building.

Comments

I agree. Outhouses should be downhill. That’s how they were in the farm I was raised on. Remember the old saying, “ sh67 rolls downhill”

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Yup - I was thinking the same thing about rolling down hill.  I guess ii is universal

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I have seen some of these structures in some old pictures that are coverings on a well. Close to the house or many times in front of houses. Just saying !!

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I will second Dennis Dodd's thought that it might be a well house. Wells would be located above the house, I would think - gravity.

Answer 3

Hi Paula, whether it’s an outhouse or not, I doubt it due to its positioning on the hill, I thank you for the memories the picture and the suggestion of the outhouse brought home to me. I was just mentioning to my wife a few days ago that one of my earliest memories was coming home to find the necessary items for a new indoor bathroom on our front porch. Up until that time we had made use of the “privy”. I couldn’t have been more than 3 or 4. Thanks again for this wonderful piece of the past.