Georgia farm dig 1/5 to 1/7/06

[HunterGatherer]

I'm making another trip to Georgia ao I can start a dig tomomorrow. This is what I consider my initiation dig; I've found bottles before but it didn't take much effort. I've got the place mapped out in my head, but I have no idea where to begin. There is a still-standing outhouse that I can remove, a creek, a dump pile (?), and the tree that I think grew through an old privy. I'll probably pick just one and dig it hard while just scratching around in another area. Any hints?

~Isaac

 

[capsoda]

RE: Georgia farm dig tomorrow thru sunday

Just one. Don't dig in a still standing privy. It could scar you for life.[][:'(][&:][&:][&:].......[sm=lol.gif]

 

[HunterGatherer]

RE: Georgia farm dig tomorrow thru sunday

I think you misread me. The building itself is still standing, but its in about the same state as everything else around it. Hasn't been used in 50 years minimum I think. No smell, very dry inside. I felt no twinge of fear as I looked in the door.

 

[capsoda]

RE: Georgia farm dig tomorrow thru sunday

Well watch for racoons in there. We have heard that they can be pretty mean when you invade their privacy in the privy. Yuck, Yuck, Yuck.

 

[swizzle]

RE: Georgia farm dig tomorrow thru sunday

If you start to dig out that privy and it starts to smell bad, stop diggin'. It's not healthy. There's a possibility that you can get sick from digging a privy that ain't done cookin' yet. Leave it for your grandkids, grandkids. Swizzle

 

[zanes_antiques]

RE: Georgia farm dig tomorrow thru sunday

well one good thing about a still standing privy...Not hard digging. No fill or cap to go through and nice soft, how should I say, use layer also.

 

[CALDIGR2]

RE: Georgia farm dig tomorrow thru sunday

I have dug standing privies that were at least 100 yrs old when I dug 'em. I know where another square nailed one is standing, and to this day it has not been touched. The place recently was vacated, so I'm goin' in soon.

Don't panic, the privy has not seen any use for around 90 yrs. It's too big for my PU or I'd bring the whole thing back to the ranch. I'll have to satisfy myself with the two hole seat.

 

[swizzle]

RE: Georgia farm dig tomorrow thru sunday

See if you can get someone to help you tear it down and rebuild it. I'd even go as far as detecting for square nails on the property for extra nails to put it back together. At least take a bunch of pics to save it for all to see. Swizzle

 

[JOETHECROW]

RE: Georgia farm dig tomorrow thru sunday

Hey all,...I brought home a complete privvy from about 10 miles distant...hauled her intact w/ a piece of orange logging ribbon for a flag....It still stands at the edge of my woodline, hmmm, it has square cut nails....at the time I grabbed it never thought too much about digging it out...It was an historic local narrow guage r.r. depot privvy.....the railroad ran from 1886 till 1908 has been abandoned since...maybe I should go dig er out....thanks for the thought. Joe

 

[HunterGatherer]

RE: Georgia farm dig tomorrow thru sunday

I decided not to dig that outhouse. Mostly because I don't know enough about how the ground should be and why I was digging through sugar sand instead of rich dirt. There are definately several poopers on this land and I'll be going back with a partner to get them dug.

I wound up digging the dump right next to the house. Ugh, what a disappointment. At worst it was from the 70's, at best from the late 40's/early 50s. I'm sure there was another dump from the earlier decades, but I have no idea where it might be. I wound up with a few masons, a couple pepsi bottles and a 75th anniversary pepsi can.

Lessons Learned:
1. Get a longer probe.
2. Get a partner.
3. Get lessons about layers of debris.
4. Wire. Cutters. There was more old fence in the ground than I was prepared to deal with.