Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments

JohnBarleyCorn2 t1_j1miamx wrote

Reply to comment by TopS3cr3t in Merry Christmas /r/Baltimore! - Baltimore History Info Inside by TopS3cr3t

that's pretty cool - where do you find these?

3

TopS3cr3t OP t1_j1mqir2 wrote

The two flasks came out of different auctions.

The John Clark soda came from a privy in Upper Fells Point a few weeks ago. And the pipes, marbles, and stoppers also came from privies all over the city.

7

JohnBarleyCorn2 t1_j1oaszg wrote

thanks. following your channel now! Any insight on why people through glass containers and other stuff down into the privy? Were they also used as garbage receptacles? Did they ever have to shovel them out? I can't imagine a hole in the ground to smell very good or be hygenic.

1

TopS3cr3t OP t1_j1ocn8s wrote

You nailed it. There wasn’t public trash pickup before the mid 1900s. So what petter place to toss your trash then a hole you already had outback that would periodically be cleaned out.

It wasn’t great but as long as you didn’t go down there yourself and kept up the maintenance it would have been tolerable

4