Can't remember which list had the question on outhouses, so I'm sending it to both. Why a moon on outhouse doors? Vents often doubled as gender symbols. Luna is the ancient crescent shaped figure that is a universal symbol for womanhood. So, a moon was cut out for the women's outhouse in early innkeeping days. Sol is the sunburst pattern, so a sun was cut out for the men's. These symbols were necessary in the Colonial times because not many people could read. As time went on, many of the men's outhouse fell into disrepair and many even disappeared. Ones for women were better taken care of and that is why more moons can be found today on those that have been preserved through time. The general population lost the factual meanings of the symbols in the mid-1800's. I thought of this today when I was in my mother's bathroom looking at her outhouse border - all of the outhouses have moon's cut out of the doors. I thought most people knew it was to distinguish between men's and women's outhouses. I just asked my wife if she knew why a moon was cut on some outhouse doors - her respo! nse - "I guess it's because they call your butt a moon." Wish me luck also, I got some outhouse plans from 1908 last week and I plan to construct one to take down to my Kentucky property to replace the one there now. Wouldn't be such a big deal except lumber was true to size in 1908 - a 2" x 4" was actually 2 inches by 4 inches then - today it's something like 1 3/4" x 3 1/2" or something close to that. Take care, J. Larry Helton, Jr. "It's not how you die, it's what you live for." - Daniel Boone