The MNRHS depot contains an interesting and historic relic, a very unique, old toilet (or what’s left of it). We haven’t had water or sewer service since at least 1982, when I first joined, so the bathroom is just a storage room. Several years ago, a couple of well-intentioned, but misguided, members decided to remove the tank, supply line, and toilet seat. Seeing as the toilet had not been used for many years, they thought they could free up more storage space.
I had always been intrigued by its unusual appearance, but didn’t give it much thought until the summer of 2020, when I decided to try to learn more about it. In June I cleared out the bathroom in order to photograph the remnant of the toilet. I hoped to find some identification stamped or embossed on the metal, but no such luck.
I asked Wally, our president, what he knew about it. He called it a shotgun toilet. He remembered that the tank would fill with water when the user sat on the spring-loaded seat. When the user stood up, the seat would raise and open the flush valve.
After many hours of scouring the internet, I was thrilled to finally learn that our privy is a Vogel Frost-Proof Water Closet. More specifically, a Vogel Frost-Proof Outfit No. 1, according to the 1923 catalogue of the Joseph A. Vogel Co. which I found. Scroll down to see an extract from that catalogue.