Modern-day visitors to Mount Vernon often ask about the location of the bathrooms in the Mansion; there were none. Mount Vernon had outdoor toilets called necessaries.
In the 18th century, there were probably four necessaries spread out around the Mansion House grounds. During cold nights, the Washington family, their guests, the estate’s enslaved workers, and servants used chamber pots in their rooms.
Today, there are two restored necessaries at Mount Vernon. They are located just outside the Upper and Lower Gardens, but they are no longer used. Each has three seats fitted with large, removable wooden drawers for cleaning.
Learn more about the necessaries:
Did George Washington Have A Bathroom? January 18, 2019 George Washington's Mount Vernonon YouTube
Did George Washington have a bathroom? Of course, people in the 18th century didn't have the same kind of bathrooms we do today, but what they did have was very basic and functional. At Mount Vernon, there are two necessary's on the estate for visitors to see.
