Get “Down and Dirty” with the historical society

Going in style: Some outhouses feature architectural flourishes that echo the main house.

NEW SCOTLAND — On Sunday, Nov. 3, from 2 to 4 p.m., the New Scotland Historical Association will be hosting the program, “Coping with Life’s Necessaries: The Down and Dirty Story of Life Without Plumbing,” at the Wyman Osterhout Community Center in New Salem.

Come and remember the “good old days” and bring a child or grandchild to show them how it used to be.  How did people manage without indoor plumbing and electricity? 

Interpreter Michelle Mavigliano from the Schuyler Mansion Historic Site will tell the “down and dirty” side of 18th-Century life with insight into the domestic realities and methods used to meet basic human needs, specifically personal hygiene; also how technology has changed our experience of daily life; and yet, the fact that our basic needs and quest for relative comfort remain the same.

Chamber pots and hygiene-related artifacts used in the18th Century will be on display, and Mavigliano will examine how people of early America met the challenges of daily life without indoor plumbing and other modern conveniences.

The program is free and open to the public.  For further information, call 765-4212. 
Editor’s note: Ethie Moak is the publicity chairwoman of the New Scotland Historical Association

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