Murray Outhouse - 1860s

Outhouses were necessary buildings in the days before indoor plumbing.

Napervillians made use of chamber pots inside their homes or outhouses in their backyards before flush toilets became commonplace. People also disposed of garbage in outhouses like this one, which has two seats inside it.

By 1904, Naperville had a municipal water and sewage system, but not every home in the city had an indoor toilet. The Murray Building never had modern plumbing, though it was occupied as a residence through the late 1960s.