Outhouse pictures installed at Governor's Mansion

They stand amid the sagebrush, alone, splintered but unbroken, sentinels at the door to old Nevada.

Outhouses. Yes, outhouses.

And in a witty example of indoor plumbing paying homage to its pioneer fathers, photographs of historic Nevada outhouses were recently installed in a public men's bathroom at the Governor's Mansion

Outhouses were an important - if now often overlooked - part of early Nevada life, and this was "an interesting way to bring that history to the mansion," said Nevada first lady Dema Guinn. "Outhouses are evocative of our past."

The photographs hang in the men's room off the Nevada Room and depict privies associated with mines, ranches and other rural sites in Churchill, Eureka, Lyon and Mineral counties.

Ron James of the Nevada State Historic Preservation Office suggested this visual lesson in personal necessity to Guinn, who liked the idea.

Time, neglect and civilization have destroyed or rendered obsolete most Nevada privies, so James hopes the installation brings to mind "a pioneering time of freedom, challenges and ambitious efforts to settle the land."

Besides their obvious function, privies served as receptacles for househould refuse, explained Mella Harmon, a historic preservation specialist with the preservation office. Because of this, outhouse sites have become especially rich hunting grounds for archaeologists and bottle collectors.

Although the outhouses in the photographs are wooden, they could be made of earth, brick or other materials. Communal privies with two or more seats - a sign of frontier thoughts on privacy - were also common.

James said the installation is a small part of the ongoing improvements Mrs. Guinn is making to the interiors, buildings and grounds of the mansion compound.

Reproduction and framing of the photographs were funded by the preservation office and by the Nevada Museum, Library and Arts Foundation.