A Very Working-Class Neighborhood
Daily Life
The privies, drains, and cistern unearthed from beneath a parking lot actually straddled the property line of two homes located at 112 and 114 Sheridan Avenue and were shared by families in both houses. The privies are numbered in the order of their date of construction.
The remains of a row house built by Samuel Pruyn circa 1840 were buried several feet beneath a parking lot.
Concrete Privy Vault, c. 1908. It was originally paved with bricks. Rainwater flowed in a hole in the wall, seen at the top of the image, and carried waste out of the hole on the right. The floor drain was added later.
Wooden Privy Vault, c. 1908. This vault was constructed adjacent to the concrete vault (3). The bottom drain was a later addition.
Wooden Privy Vault, c. 1870. While still in use, the vault began to collapse, giving it an hourglass shape. The iron grate in the far wall marks the drain location.
Cylindrical brick privy vault, c. 1840. The square drain hole was covered with an iron gate during use.
location at the site.