My house is 105 years and I’m having a fatal breakdown with the sewer line. It must be 80 or 90 years old. I know this because in 1913, a photographer, I think Sanderson, flew over Sehome Hill in a balloon and took a picture of the neighborhood. Going up the alley past all the house there were white outhouses. Historically speaking, my pipes must have gone in the 1920s.
Plumbing has been around for a long time. Here in the Northwest early communities hollowed out logs or cut them in half , shaped them inside and put the halves back together again with wire. In some houses in mid-19th century, lead pipes were known to be used.
Now if I could get my plumbing solved, I wouldn’t feel like such a relic.
A REAL historian would have a privy. But since the Sears catalogue is now online, that might make things kinda tough so it’s best to have the sewer repaired.
The property tax records might show when the sewer went in. The city might have set up a local improvement district to pay the cost. That would be a great timeline for HistoryLink.org: Janet’s house in Bellingham gets indoor plumbing on …
You know, it feels like a privy at 5:30 in the morning. That seat is cold! But with my trusty reading light that unfolds and sets so nicely beside me, all is well. No bears.