“An illegal brothel that included a bar”

At a construction site in Philadelphia—incidentally for the future Museum of the American Revolution—archaeologists discovered 12 brick privies, some dating to the time of the American Revolution. Primarily used as toilets, privies often doubled as dumping grounds where broken household items were discarded. Excavations have revealed numerous, well-preserved artifacts, but not of the type typically found in a household privy from that time. Instead, the artifacts represent an assemblage often associated with taverns. Historical records reveal that the privy was part of a building that housed a brothel.

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Treasures from American history found preserved in 300-year-old human poop in an old brothel

By Travis M. Andrews

The Washington Post

July 7, 2016