Life in the Boarding House

The boarding house retained several public spaces shared by all the boarders including a parlor and dining room. The Otis boarding house chamber was used for sleeping and as a sitting room, and as there was no separate bathroom and running water available to the boarders, personal activities such as bathing and shaving would have taken place here.

The boarding house chamber is furnished with a hat bath, a portable tin tub featuring a seat and drain, which looks like an upside down hat. A toilet table next to the window  contains a wash basin, pitchers, shaving supplies, and even a chamber pot that could be neatly tucked away when not in use.