In the 21st century, few Americans think about the history of the lowly outhouse and rightfully expect water to flow from faucets and toilets to flush in their day-to-day lives. 150 years ago that was not the case. Many people relied on wells and cisterns for freshwater and outhouses instead of toilets. Over his 40-year career, Sidney Johnston documented water and sewer systems in dozens of cities and supported archeologists in their excavations of outhouses and search for artifacts in urban and rural areas to document land use patterns and better understand culture and change over time. Recent reinterpretations and restoration activities at the historic Farriss house included questions about when water and sewer systems were introduced at 137 West Michigan Avenue and whether the property historically included an outhouse. Sidney will unpack these and other related questions about the property and DeLand's water and sewer systems within the context of the lowly and necessary outhouse.

 137 W. Michigan Avenue in DeLand. Free and open to all ages

C. W. Stiles, "The Sanitary Priy," Public Health Reports, 1910,    vol. 25, no. 17.