I've been following the thread on privies and had a life experience that kind
of, sort of relates.  My husband and I just bought a house in downtown Selma,
Alabama.  We closed on it yesterday.  It was built in 1916 and still has the
orginal ancient indoor plumbing.  Out back it has one of those model T size
garages, and in the far back corner of the garage was a small little built in
closet which had a door that opened to the outside. There was a yard light next
to the door.  The closet itself must measure less that 3 feet square.   I
noticed it has a vent stack coming out of the top of it but no one had a key to
the padlock on the door.  So we closed on the house without ever knowing what
the room contained.  Shortly after closing, I being the curious sort, took my
trusty hammer to the padlock and found a pit toliet inside.  I did not grow up
in Selma, so my friends that are natives, had to explain to me that this was the
"arrangement" for the maid. (Boy am I naive, right!)  Furthermore they informed
me that this was a typical arrangement throughout the neighborhood until just a
few decades ago (within their 40 year old lifetimes anyway).
 
So, to make a long story short, in the future, when confronted with a privy
excavation, I will certain have ethnicity and segregation in mind while I am
working.  I wondered if anyone knows of an archaeological report on privies that
identified segregated facilities.
 
Linda Derry
Old Cahawba Archaeological Park
Alabama Historical Commission
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