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Libby Albaugh
Professor Ford
Public Speaking
14 October 2014
The Luxury of Indoor Plumbing
Hot showers, working toilets, and running water, all things that the everyday
person takes for granted. Indoor plumbing has changed the way we use water. Becoming
more of a necessity and less of a luxury, indoor plumbing is limitlessly advancing since
its creation in the 17th century. It is by far one of the top inventions in a worldwide
spectrum.
No matter who you are we all use the facilities to do our business and at an
early age in the 17th century, the outhouse was the acceptable form of toiletry. Various
forms of the outhouse were made, from brick to a two-story outhouse made for when the
first floor freezes during snow that still stands today in crested butte, Colorado.
(ThePlumber) However the American society didnt stop at a double story outhouse,
improvements on such an item needed improvement. Thomas Jefferson was one who had
devised his own means of an indoor outhouse or privy. By rigging of a system of
pulleys, servants would haul away and dispose of the chamber pots from his toilet, which
at the time was a wooden box enclosing a pan of wood ashes below, and a seat with a
hole cut out at the top. (ThePlumber) by the 1840s, the outhouse became troublesome,
unhealthy, indelicate, and ugly." As New Yorks Central Parks architects and designers
declared it, and so came modern sewage. (ThePlumber)
In 1829, the Tremont hotel in Boston was the first hotel to have indoor plumbing
and created the standard for a modern, first- class American hotel. (Delta) It used a
simple water system where a metal tank was set on top of the roof and water would flow
down into the sewage systems. (ThePlumber) Between the years of 1845 and 1850,
draining systems were being installed into regular buildings, leading sewage away from

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the buildings to suitable locations. (Zollinger) As baths were being put into hotels and
very rarely private house (Delta), water heaters were starting to be developed in the
1870s. (Zollinger) By the 1900s many rural and urban houses still did not have running
water in their household. For those without running indoor plumbing, rain barrels and
windmill water pumps were a main source of water. As for city livers, water hauling tank
wagons, street hydrants, and public water systems were available. (Bacon)
From the 1900s on the United States indoor plumbing had become standard for
every American. By 1932, the water closet was developed and had become a United
States standard for toilets. (Zollinger) With indoor plumbing and showers/baths in every
home, recreational bathing had become part of an American culture with the introduction
of Mr. Bubble bubble baths. (Delta)
As the twenty first century comes around, indoor plumbing has hit a standard as
far as regulations of sanitation and products goes. Every American household is equipped
with a toilet, sink, and shower/bath. Ingenuity is approaching new peaks as new devices
are released such as the appearance of the first ever touch activated sink released in 2008.
(Delta) Touch less flushing and touch less activation of sinks, have all become standards
in various stores, building and hotels.
Showering, using the toilet and the washing of hands has become a daily routine
for many. The simple luxury that we all take as a necessity has become a standard for all
Americans. The indoor plumbing system has advanced through time evolving from a
simple hole in the ground to the thousands of sanitation plants and running water within
every household that we have today, and it will continue to advance to new standards.

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Works Cited
"History of Plumbing in America." , by Theplumber.com. Web. 14 Oct. 2014.
Zollinger, Lisa. "27 Historical Events That Shaped Modern Plumbing
Systems." The Expert Witness RSS. 25 July 2012. Web. 14 Oct. 2014.
"Indoor Plumbing: A Timeline." Delta Faucet. Delta. Web. 14 Oct. 2014.
Bacon, Paul. "The 1900 House." PBS. PBS. Web. 14 Oct. 2014.