Any privy diggers ever seen this before?

[RICKJJ59W]

This pit has a fire brick liner. The top has 6 tiers of red brick (where the out house sat) it probes over 10 feet deep so far,never touched bottom. I have been digging it my self. There is no time limit on this one.the guy said "the yard ain't going no where" [] I love those kind of owners.

The house is 1880 we dug a new-er pit not even making TOC. so there is an older one somewhere.I Just don't know if this is it yet.
I just want to know if anyone ever dug a fire brick liner? I guess you use what ya got. Maybe that's all they had. I seen a lot but I never seen this.

Any input is appreciated.


Probe is buried that's a lot of fire brick! I wonder if it is a deep burn pit? naaa no air for a fire.[]

 

[RICKJJ59W]

another shot

 

[myersdiggers1998]

They might be reused bricks from a delinquent factory Rick.

 

[RICKJJ59W]

ORIGINAL: myersdiggers1998

They might be reused bricks from a delinquent factory Rick.

yeah I was thinking that to,but I never seen a whole liner built out of them. I have seen them just tossed in a pit. At first i thought it was a shallow burn hole but it keeps probing. Only one way to see whats at the bottom. Dig it out[]

Hey Gordon i sent you a PM.

 

[JOETHECROW]

That one looks interesting Rick....Can't wait to see what's down there!

 

[beendiggin]

Do the bricks have burn stains or glazed over areas? That would indicate whether they were recycled or not. Around here, a lot of people set up lime kilns in their backyards for making powdered lime out of burning quarried limestone rock. Either way, hope you get something good.

 

[RICKJJ59W]

ORIGINAL: beendiggin

Do the bricks have burn stains or glazed over areas? That would indicate whether they were recycled or not. Around here, a lot of people set up lime kilns in their backyards for making powdered lime out of burning quarried limestone rock. Either way, hope you get something good.

That's the first thing I looked for was burn marks,not a one. But i have not reached the bottom yet so who knows its all about the mystery []

 

[AntiqueMeds]

Are they refractory brick or just burned brick?
If its just burned brick its probably from a chimney someone pulled down.
Recycling was big in the 18th century especially with European immagrants who learned it during hard times back in the old country.
I have lots of recycled materials in my house. THey used a 1751 stove plate as a fireback in one of the flireplaces and a 3 gallon crock to line a flue thimble to name a few recycled items.

 

[midwestdigger]

Looks like a reclaimed well that was turned into a privy. If your rockliner (as it appears in the bottom) starts to narrow then that's probably what happened. I have seen that before in st Louis, and in other Midwestern cities.

 

[RICKJJ59W]

ORIGINAL: AntiqueMeds

Are they refractory brick or just burned brick?
If its just burned brick its probably from a chimney someone pulled down.
Recycling was big in the 18th century especially with European immagrants who learned it during hard times back in the old country.
I have lots of recycled materials in my house. THey used a 1751 stove plate as a fireback in one of the flireplaces and a 3 gallon crock to line a flue thimble to name a few recycled items.

Gunth So far all of the ones that were knocked into the pit were clean "no burn marks" so they must be refractory. Like I said I have never come across this in all my privy diggin days.