Stop 9 Melrose Brick Privy

Melrose Privy

NPS

Quick Facts

Location:

Natchez National Historical Park

Designation:

National Historic Landmark

Amenities

9 listed

Accessible Rooms, Cellular Signal, Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Internet/WiFi Available, Restroom, Restroom - Accessible, Toilet - Flush, Trash/Litter Receptacles, Wheelchair Accessible

The word “privy” comes from the Latin word for “private,” and it serves as an outdoor restroom or “outhouse.” People could relieve themselves in these toilets when they were outdoors. Two rooms of this privy sit over an underground vault that caught the waste and had to be periodically cleaned out. Each room has a wooden bench with holes. Some parts are lower with smaller seats to accommodate children.

When Melrose was built, indoor toilets were very rare. This mansion had a tank in the attic that held rainwater. It was a large cypress box lined with zinc to make it waterproof. When the house was built, in the 1840s, the attic cistern fed a system of running water whose fixtures included a tub, shower, and flush toilet. The McMurrans and their guests also used chamber pots when they were in the big house. The household slaves had to empty and clean them.

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