It may well be that people in Charleston were more apt to bath than people to the north. One, while people north of Charleston can and did often go for a swim in the lakes, ponds and creeks, that was a dicier proposition in Charleston given the prevalence of poisonous snakes and alligators.
Moreover, bathing in the ocean came with its own set of problems. An attempt was made to set up a bath facility on the ocean in 1813 -- "a circular floating bathing house 250' in circumference… with forty capacious private bathing rooms lighted by venetian windows, a large swimming bath in the center." . . . . On July 1, 1815, the City Gazette informed its readers that "repairs to the Salt Water Floating Bath are complete, and the house hauled out to its moorings. It is put afloat, we understand, by means which secure it against the possibility of sinking; and the bathing apartments are so lined as effectually to exclude those marine animals which were so troublesome last year."
Two, there is this from David Ramsay in his 1808 History of SC:
Bathing and the Bidet
The Carolinians are indebted to the late french emigrants for the more frequent use of baths, both hot and cold, and also of the bidet. Long experience in the West-India islands had taught them that such practices, and also a more free use of vegetable aliment, were suitable to warm climates. Cold water as well as cool air were undervalued by the elder inhabitants. The author of all good has put both within the grasp of all men with little trouble Or expense ; but the cheapness of the gift has been the occasion of its being slighted. Its value has lately been appreciated. Experience has proved that water, judiciously applied, cold or warm as circumstances require, cures many diseases and prevents more.
The only influx of French emigrants came around 1700 with the Huguenots.
Bidet - History
Bidet - 18th century picture
Hygiene
The Toilet of Flora (1784 recipes for scents)
Colonial era soapmaking 2
Cisterns in Charleston (and here, wiki)
Wells in Charleston (Charleston Footprints)
Public Wells in Charleston
In 1788, Phoenix Fire Co. commissioned a map showing the location of each public well in Charleston. There seem to be about one or two per block. No mention is made as to whether they are pump or artesian.
According to Charleston Waterworks: "From the time the first settlers arrived in Charleston in 1668 through the early 1800s, Charlestonians obtained drinking water from shallow wells and rainwater collected in large cisterns. As the population grew, poor sanitation practices contaminated many of these wells, and city leaders began looking for a clean, plentiful source of water.
Charleston Footprints: "For the initial settlers of the Charleston area, finding fresh water was easy – all you had to do was dig, and not very deep. The peninsula lies atop a 18-20 foot strata of sandy soil that underneath has bed of hardened clay marl impervious to water, and soaking rains fill this strata enough that a twelve-foot well should provide plenty of water. A water problem emerged with population growth and pollution, as wells on adjacent lots competed for the same water, while outhouses drains dumped harmful bacteria into the water system."
Inscription.
This historic bathtub, probably built in the early 1800s, is the first of its kind that archeologists have identified in Charleston. It is unique because its owner placed it in the plantation house instead of a separate outbuilding.
Although a rough and plain-looking ruin today, it was once a finely finished bathtub. It stands as a tangible reminder that attitudes about bathing have changed throughout the centuries. Once considered risky to a person’s health, bathing became increasingly fashionable in the late 1700s. At that time, however, bathers washed for refreshment rather than to get clean.
Location. 32° 48.274′ N, 79° 59.073′ W. Marker is in Charleston, South Carolina, in Charleston County. Marker can be reached from Old Town Plantation Road. Touch for map. Marker is located on the History Trail at Charles Towne Landing. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1500 Old Towne Road, Charleston SC 29407, United States of America.
More about this marker. The bottom right of the marker contains a picture with the caption “This print from the mid-1700s depicts a wooden bathtub. The tub here at Charles Towne Landing was made of brick lined with stucco. Archaeologists excavated it in the 1960s.”
Above this is a picture of a shirt and has a caption of “Instead of bathing, colonial men and women wore long linen undergarments called “shifts” and relied on the fabric’s texture to “dry clean” their skin.”
At the upper right of the marker is a reproduction of an advertisement with the caption “Various outbuildings typically surrounded houses in the 1700s and 1800s. Only more expensive properties included bathing houses, like this one advertised in Charleston in 1819.”
Cisterns in Charleston (and here, wiki)
Wells in Charleston (Charleston Footprints)
Public Wells in Charleston
In 1788, Phoenix Fire Co. commissioned a map showing the location of each public well in Charleston. There seem to be about one or two per block. No mention is made as to whether they are pump or artesian.
According to Charleston Waterworks: "From the time the first settlers arrived in Charleston in 1668 through the early 1800s, Charlestonians obtained drinking water from shallow wells and rainwater collected in large cisterns. As the population grew, poor sanitation practices contaminated many of these wells, and city leaders began looking for a clean, plentiful source of water.
Charleston Footprints: "For the initial settlers of the Charleston area, finding fresh water was easy – all you had to do was dig, and not very deep. The peninsula lies atop a 18-20 foot strata of sandy soil that underneath has bed of hardened clay marl impervious to water, and soaking rains fill this strata enough that a twelve-foot well should provide plenty of water. A water problem emerged with population growth and pollution, as wells on adjacent lots competed for the same water, while outhouses drains dumped harmful bacteria into the water system."
Tales of the Tub
By Bill Coughlin, August 6, 2013
1. Tales of the Tub Marker
This historic bathtub, probably built in the early 1800s, is the first of its kind that archeologists have identified in Charleston. It is unique because its owner placed it in the plantation house instead of a separate outbuilding.
Although a rough and plain-looking ruin today, it was once a finely finished bathtub. It stands as a tangible reminder that attitudes about bathing have changed throughout the centuries. Once considered risky to a person’s health, bathing became increasingly fashionable in the late 1700s. At that time, however, bathers washed for refreshment rather than to get clean.
Location. 32° 48.274′ N, 79° 59.073′ W. Marker is in Charleston, South Carolina, in Charleston County. Marker can be reached from Old Town Plantation Road. Touch for map. Marker is located on the History Trail at Charles Towne Landing. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1500 Old Towne Road, Charleston SC 29407, United States of America.
More about this marker. The bottom right of the marker contains a picture with the caption “This print from the mid-1700s depicts a wooden bathtub. The tub here at Charles Towne Landing was made of brick lined with stucco. Archaeologists excavated it in the 1960s.”
Above this is a picture of a shirt and has a caption of “Instead of bathing, colonial men and women wore long linen undergarments called “shifts” and relied on the fabric’s texture to “dry clean” their skin.”
At the upper right of the marker is a reproduction of an advertisement with the caption “Various outbuildings typically surrounded houses in the 1700s and 1800s. Only more expensive properties included bathing houses, like this one advertised in Charleston in 1819.”
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