Belle Plaine is home to rare and historic 2-story outhouse

BELLE PLAINE, Minn. — A two-story outhouse in Belle Plaine is one of only three in the entire country.

"Lots of little details. Lots of little knick-knacks on the tables," said Cary Coop of the Belle Plaine Historical Society.

The Hooper, Bowler, Hillstrom House in Belle Plaine is on the National Register of Historic Places. Built in 1871, it's stuffed full of knick-knacks and nostalgia.

"The children that live here and grow up here, part of this house would help them understand the town that they're in, live in, and grow up in," said Mary Pat Munson, also with the Belle Plaine Historical Society.

Visiting this old Victorian is like taking a step back in time. Or, like having a seat back in time.

In the winter, you would risk getting frostbite when nature called.

"You aren't going to want to read the paper or anything like that," said Coop.

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The Bowler family were the ones who added two stories worth of toilets: three in the upstairs part of the outhouse, and two on the bottom. They also built a skyway to get there quickly in case of an emergency.

Unlike the skyways you see in downtown Minneapolis, this one is only about 3 feet long — but it's a necessary feature because you wouldn't want your outhouse right next to your bedroom.

The outhouse was considered a sign of wealth when it was constructed, and it was extremely rare.

Everything funneled into a giant tank below the ground. And it wasn't unheard of for family members to be upstairs and downstairs at the same time.  

When the Belle Plaine Historical Society acquired the home in the 1970s, the outhouse was closed for business. But tour guide Coop said people still come from across the country to see this anomaly. And one question always comes up.

"Toilet paper. Always toilet paper," Coop said.

But families didn't have access to that novelty until about 1900.

"Back in the day, they had rags. And they would use rags to clean themselves," said Coop. "Kids will always tell me how gross it is. And I say, 'yeah, it is.'"

From rags to riches. All of this shows just how far we've advanced over time. This is one of those rare places where you come for the house and stay for the outhouse.

"The technology has changed. But really, the people themselves have not changed. And it's kind of fun to talk about that," Coop said.

Coop says that they've had visitors from nearly every state and several countries. The house and outhouse are taken care of through donations.