Anyone for a back breaking workout?

[RICKJJ59W]

That thing was most likely meant to hold water.
Brick's with crete between them put up a red flag for us,Concrete alone makes us say,"nope not doing it to new"

 

[lexdigger]

It has the shape of a cistern. Looks like a drainage pipe laying in the bank there next to it? If you dig a test hole, go down along the edge of the walls. When they filled something like that with trash, the bottles would roll down the sides of the pile towards the wall. We have good luck with TOC cisterns here... lots of early crown tops and stoneware!!!

 

[JOETHECROW]

ORIGINAL: Dabeel

So I was inspired by Joe the crow and ajohn to get out today and wander through the wooded stream area that had a women's dormitory on the grounds in the late 1880's. By looking at maps from 1889 there used to be a lot of out buildings used by the maintenance workers as small repair and storage sheds right on the banks of the stream that still runs through.

I was just poking around the banks at the stream looking for tossed bottles and found this mega well built into one of the banks of the stream. Now the question is.....who wants to come here and excavate this thing with me?.......keep in mind it could be a big fat goose egg in terms of finding anything. My boredom of not doing any digging lately is tempting me to want to explore it.

Here are the pics......oh yea and this is in Oakland, CA for those who have travel plans....hee hee[]

Doug

Looks like it was built into the ground and maybe years of spring runoff exposed that side that is showing?

 

[lexdigger]

Heck, on second thought, I would just take a small sledge to the side of it and see what comes out!!! Beats the hell out of digging it all the way down for Nothing!!! LOL

 

[ironmountain]

metal detector + sledge hammer = fun...

 

[madman]

ID SAY GO FOR IT!

 

[appliedlips]

I agree with Lex, looks to be a cistern. In all serious though, what would mortar have to do with dating? All cisterns were always mortared to hold the water in. I have dug plenty of early cisterns as well as newer ones and there is mortar in all of them most of the time they are filled later and have newer trash but not always. All early stone and brick houses are built with mortar and they certainly aren't new. I would probe it thoroughly and not dig unless I hit glass or trash. Good luck.

 

[CALDIGR2]

There is a HUGE difference between old soft lime mortar and concreted bricks. If the mortar will scratch out with a piece of wood, it's worth a look. Hard mortar, no.

 

[sandchip]

Resembles a big manhole.

 

[GuntherHess]

that is a typical early cistern. The inside would have been parged to make it waterproof.
Normally they are buried so you dont see the shape . They are often sealed at the top to protect the water quality. Usually filled from a windmill/well or raingutter.
Yours was probably originally bricked up at the top like an igloo. The tops often get busted open by buldozers , plows, or other things.