Figure 1.--Here we see a seaside bathouse in Oceanview, New Jersey about 1900. It looks like a teacher may have tken some of her students to the beach. Many of the boys are not wearung tops which were still prevalent at the time. Ewe are not sure why several of th boys have not changed into their bathing togs. The bathouse here was a place to change and get a towell or to rent a bthing suit. Notice the photographic studio next door. The phoytogrsphrr was the Muncy Studio in Oceanview.

Sea bathing began to revive in the late-18th century and this was eventually reflected in the construction of pools, including indoor pools. The first indoor pools we know of were in English cities. The first was built in Liverpool. One report describes six indoor pools complete with diving boards (1837). Th primary purpose was public health. A very small portion of the population of Europe's growing cities had bath tuns or running water in their homes. Parliament passed the Public Baths and Wash-houses Act (1846). Indoor bathing facilities gradually apperared in other cities in Europe and North America. Public baths began to appear in the United States (1890s). They were quite common by the turn-of-the 20th century. The principal factor here was the hygene of the working-class. The YMCA played an important role of building indoor bathing facilities. The revival of the Olympic Games (1896) played a mjor role in popularizing swiming sports which in turn encouraged the construction of indoor and outdoor pools. there was another purpose foir bahouses and that was recreation. We even see bathouses in beach resort areas. This occurred arond the turn-of-the-20th century as summer vcations became ijncreasingly widespread, esopecually beach vacations or at least seaside dau trips--all made possible by the new rail system. Beach bathhouses were facilties where day trippers or locals could change their clothes or rent a bathing suit. Notice the term bathing suit which is now being increasingluy replaced with swimsuit. The term bathhouse is no longer clearly undersood by young people.

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Created: 11:51 AM 9/2/2021
Last updated: 11:51 AM 9/2/2021