Where should I look for bottles on a 1740s property?

PlaneDiggerCam · Aug 22, 2018

Since I recently got permission to a 1740s house I wanted to ask where the best places are to look for bottles. There is woods in the back leading to a lake and wetlands and then a railroad. On the right is a small patch of woods with a foundation of a barn or another house. The property used to be a huge farm but there have been apartments and shopping centers put in on parts of the old property.

I have never done any property this old before and want to make sure I cover all the major areas to search for bottles.

nhpharm · Aug 22, 2018

In the other house foundation, down any banking or hollow, and in the swamp are all places to look.

RIBottleguy · Aug 22, 2018

Quite often they dumped behind barns, also any wetlands near the house. The further you go from the house the newer a dump will be if you find one. Quite often the oldest ones will be 50-200ft. from the house.

Bottlehog · Aug 31, 2018

The privy--"outhouse,"--which, to locate, will require an intuitive sense of proximate perspective relative to the structure, e.g., front and back, doorways. Equally important is a 3/8" spring steel probe; 4 feet will likely be adequate. Older pits are much more "subtle," given the relative lack of materials offering the telltale "crunch," so common with post 1860 pits. Due to settling, older pits also tend to exhibit less discernible "layering" or variations in soil resistance to the probe. And given the age of your site, "trash" is a relatively recent development (especially intact), as containers in the 18th century were comparatively rare and valued for their continued utility when original contents were gone. Given this, an experienced privy digging partner who has mastered the nuances of the feel of a probe would be helpful. Assuming habitation during the post-Civil War period, there should be two productive privies (hopefully "loaded") spanning the 1860-1900 period, a period when commercial growth, income, and consumerism expanded. Of course, if the occupants were wealthy, they likely had a brick-lined pit that was periodically dipped, and what would otherwise be todays treasures were removed under the cover of darkness by the local "honey dipper." For dumps associated with rural properties, start with the nearest ravine, downslope if relevant, and go from there. A probe is useful in this instance as well. Good luck.

Where should I look for bottles on a 1740s property?

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