History of the Cemetery Outhouse
The Cemetery Outhouse is a typical building from the turn-of-the-century (i.e. 1900). Because of the more or less "public" use of this building it was partitioned into two sections. One entrance was for the women and the other was for the men.
It was moved from Trinity's cemetery to its present location in the late 1960's.
Why would you need an outhouse in a cemetery?
In Freistadt, as in other church-centered communities, Sunday was set aside for the Lord. Not only was it a day of rest, but especially during warm weather, it was a time to look after the graves of relatives.
In the horse-and-buggy days, families would bring a lunch and have their noon meal on the cemetery grounds before hitching up the horses for the drive home.
Because the cemetery was a wide open, fairly level area, it became the site of church picnics and mission festivals where parishioners could socialize with friends, relatives and neighbors.
With that much time being spent on the cemetery grounds, a clean outhouse was an essential convenience in the days before indoor plumbing.
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