Big local brick yard site...

[barberman]

Its frozen and cold in Kansas. Looking at old maps and talking to barbershop customers is fun. 1891 the local brick yard was in full swing. It was real close to downtown. Story is the clay pit was the town dump site for a few years. Any thoughts ? Hope the picture of the site comes thru.

 

[pyshodoodle]

This place still exists and isn't built on? Are you seriously asking us if you should check it out! I'm already on google earth trying to figure it out. []

 

[Rockhounder55]

Hey Barberman, I was just curious as to whether or not the roundhouse and turntable still exist. If they are, I'd love to see some pictures of them.

 

[barberman]

Can't seem to figure out how to email Earth placemark so here is a screen shot. As you can see the brick pond is still there but the clay pit has a mobile home and garage on it. Most of it is covered with gravel. Rail turntable is gone but you can walk back there and kind of see where stuff used to be. If anyone knows how to attach a Earth placemark please let me know.

 

[barberman]

The whole notion of dump digging or privy digging is unheard of here in Kansas. When I mention privy digging to people they say I'm wasting my time. Most say "why would people throw bottles in the toilet" I don't have an answer for them.

 

[barberman]

http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=38.639511,-95.820799&z=17&t=h&hl=en Google map link. How do I send/attach a Earth view?

 

[cyberdigger]

"why would people throw bottles in the toilet"

I've wondered all my indoor toilet/bottle-collecting life the same thing, but the evidence is there every time somebody digs a privy hole and comes up with bottles.. it must be because a privy was more of a garbage disposal than we imagine.. we use indoor plumbing now, and nobody flushes a bottle down the toilet.. but if it's just a hole in the ground, why not? And if there was never any intention of resurrecting the contents of these privy holes, they would have been a great place to "make things disappear" either to hide them or just as an alternative to burying them.. OK imagine you are in the year 1890, and you're sipping the last bits out of a bottle of whisky, or mineral water or whatever, and you need to visit the WC.. that bottle you're drinking from has no intrinsic value so why not take it to the outhouse with you and get rid of it while you're in there.. after years and years, there could be hundreds of them in there!

 

[capsoda]

Hey Rich, Kansas, contrary to popular belief, is the old west. You are also in Indian Territory. There several great hutch type bottles from Kansas marked with
IT and the names of towns and settlements. Kansas was also mared by the Civil War, especially the eastern half. Check out the clay pit, the pond and the privies.

 

[JGUIS]

I thought it was the next block down the tracks, the one with evidence of a spur rail. Asking anyone other than a bottle digger about privies is usually fruitless, ask your probe. []

 

[VA is for Diggers]

Hi, your site looks promising, unless it's on property where the owner does not give permission. It seems like you just gave this forum a treasure map. Are you sure there are no guard dogs? Just kidding.