Outhouses
Characterized as a kind of toilet enclosed in miniature structure only meters away from the main edifice, outhouses were popularly employed in the past. It is also regarded as kybo, earth closet and jakes constructed for an array of purposes. However, the privy, as it is also called, was utilized for activities that were not “wanted” inside the house such as cooking and storage. The outhouse also existed as a refuge for animals. There were much bigger building of this type dubbed as stables or barns which of course, can be typically spotted in a lot of farms all over the country sides.
Outhouses in North America specifically in Canada and United States, they were regarded as a backhouse which was a miniature enclosure surrounding a ditch primarily employed as a toilet. Some individuals also call it as the “bank,” “john” and “pool,” among the others. In the Pacific region particularly in Australia, the privy is a bathroom outdoors typically dubbed as “thunder box,” “dunny” and “earth closets.” The waste accumulating in the outhouse was also euphemistically considered as “night soil.” If you utilize the proper word, there will really be people who will dread the sound of it. To play safe, let the term be as such.
As for the suburban regions that were not linked to proper disposal of sewage, the outhouses were not constructed over ditches but instead, waste was gathered into big cans placed below the toilet. Contractors taken into service by the local administration were responsible of collecting the “night soil.” With that, the human dirt, excuse for the term, is then eliminated from the area and thrown in another site. The hired individuals then replace the privy with a new container. However, this practice was scrapped in 1970’s when the council in Brisbane, Australia looked closely into the aspect of sanitation.
Early on this article, different terms related to outhouses were mentioned. You were able to encounter the likes of kybo and jakes. As for earth closet, it was already tackled. Kybo, by the way, was said to be recognized by all the members of the Scout Movement. It was deemed to be an acronym for “keep your bowels open.” Funny it may sound but it definitely has some connection with privy. There were also individuals who said that kybo started from the Farm and Wilderness Camps. The event was held in Vermont where the word stemmed from cans of coffee which were utilized to neutralize the foul smell of the waste.
Aside from kybo, earth closet and jakes, outhouses were also recognized as biffy which can at times, be encountered in manuscripts of the American Girl Scout. It has been said that the term can be traced back to the logo of Browning- Ferris Industries (BFI), a company that collects waste. The corporation also includes providing portable toilets. Other origin also render that biffy was conceived because campers make a ditch around the site which they call as BIFF, short for “bathroom in forest floor.” The group also brings along a bag complete with lighter, toilet paper and trowel, among others, which was dubbed as “BIFF key.”
Going back to kybo, it is actually tightly embedded in the tradition of the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa (RAGBRAI). However, the portable toilets were not for long been substituted with others but the term is still employed up to this juncture. There is also the roulette wherein individuals line up in front of this outdoor bathroom. You see, even with the numerous innovations in technology, outhouses of various kinds still exist. Even with the modernization of lavatories, the construction of a privy can still be regarded with a purpose. Well of course, the “nature” will never stop calling which also explains why.