Arnold Outhouse

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the Arnold Outhouse, out in Rusk County. Now, most historical markers around Texas are staked next to courthouses, battlefields, grand old homes. This one is staked next to an outhouse.

And honestly, that might be my favorite thing about Texas. John R. Arnold was a prominent Henderson businessman and civic leader, the kind of man who did things right.

In 1908, he moved his family to this property, and he got to work. The home that already stood on the site, he added a second story to it. He built a number of structures around the property.

And then there was this. The outhouse. Now, you might think, well, an outhouse is an outhouse.

But John R. Arnold apparently did not think that way. This one was larger than most standard outhouses of its day.

And here is the part that gets me every time. The milled pattern on the door and window facings, yes, window facings, matched that of the large Arnold house itself. The man built his outhouse to match his house.

That is a level of civic pride that extends, shall we say, to every corner of the property. That home was razed in 1966, gone now. But the outhouse stands, preserved right here, to illustrate part of the lifestyle of nineteenth and early twentieth century Texans.

John R. Arnold made sure even the humblest structure on his land had some dignity. I think he'd be pleased to know it outlasted the house.

What the marker says

Prominent Henderson businessman and civic leader John R. Arnold moved his family to this property in 1908. He added a second story to the home (razed in 1966) that already existed at the site. He also built a number of structures around the property, including this outhouse. It was larger than most standard outhouses of its day, and the milled pattern on the door and window facings matched that of the large Arnold house. The Arnold Outhouse is preserved to illustrate part of the lifestyle of 19th and early 20th-century Texans.