In the days before modern medicine, catching plague, smallpox, leprosy, or tuberculosis could prove a death sentence, or leave a sufferer with lifelong complications. Across the United Kingdom and the United States, communities came up with a solution to halt the spread of disease: the pest house. These small dwellings, some used into the 20th century, were where people suffering from contagious diseases could stay while they were traveling or if they needed to be isolated from their communities. Usually, they only had basic amenities, and towns typically situated them…
