Dug another "first"......

[cannibalfromhannibal]

Decided to take advantage of less humidity and open up a spot I probed last week. I opened a test hole at a different spot on the property a week earlier and was mystified. The hole went down about 3 foot and stopped. "Crummy old post hole" went through my mind. But at the bottom were two tiny pieces of window pane and a rusty nail or such. Filled it in disgustedly and huffed away. Seems I have dug my fair share of post holes, sewer lines and other assorted empty holes this season. And with scorching temps and drippy humidity, I just haven't had much luck lately. So when I opened this one up my expectations were low. WAY low. I assigned it a ratio of 30/70 that it was 30% likely something worth digging. I wasn't to be disappointed in my assessment, at least where bottles were concerned. Opened up a test hole and about 2 foot deep hit a narrow layer of stove ash, so I decided to get serious and open it up. (It always strikes me funny how "innocent" looking the holes are in the beginning) Got under the ash only to find large privy type stones and some brick pieces. "Well, at least it isn't organic", I thought. I persevered and hit what felt and looked like virgin clay. I ran my 4 foot probe in and barely touched on some black ashy looking mix with some rust. I noted it was almost at the 7 foot level. This house dates to at least 1871 and possibly as early as 1866, according to the surviving business directories. So now my mood was improving. Reaching about the 6 foot level, I hit some glass and suddenly a wide mouth shard appeared., semi-automatic! UGH! REALLY? Now I was disgusted again, but worse! But I still had another couple feet to go to reach local ordinance of 8 foot deep for privies in town. I scraped into another pocket of broken glass and I tug on a dark broken base shard and out comes an early 60's mossy green Hostetter's! Now THAT's more like it! NOW I'm all excited again with visions of green Hoss's stacked like cord wood on the bottom. Not this day, as this was the only piece of it I found and nothing else from that period. But it energized me to the bottom of the pit.......

 

[cannibalfromhannibal]

So, finally reaching the use layer with about a foot and a half to the bottom, I began pulling out the newer versions of Pitcher's Castoria bottles! UGH AGAIN! Well, I begin a pile for the homeowner and disgustedly dig on. At this point I am tired and a bit reckless. Amazingly enough, I break nothing, though the rocks and bricks did their fair share of that. I managed to dig a bit out of sight under the bank and out rolls a vase with a chip on the backside. Well, looks good from the front so I put it on my non-existent keeper pile. At least it is SOMETHING! Other than slicks and castoria, anything of any interest is crushed. Just then in the middle of a group of splintered fruit jars pops out another vase. And it's a nice ruby red color and looks undamaged. "Cool", I think to my self, but then I realize there is no bottom, but both ends are ground. It suddenly hits me I just dug up a red railroad lantern globe! Wiping away the mud I discover it is embossed Burlington Route! How cool is that? Never would I imagine I would find one of these in a privy hole!

 

[cannibalfromhannibal]

I decide to dig a little more before covering it over for the night and found an undamaged 1858 ground lip Mason jar and called it good for the day. That night I researched the globe on ebay past auctions and was stunned to find a couple sold for $150+ without the lantern! Returning the next morning, I was keeping an eye out for any rusty remains of the lantern. I certainly wasn't looking for another globe! After digging a few more commoners for the property owner, nearly the last thing out of the hole was another red globe same as the first! No evidence of the lantern remains, so how & why the undamaged globes were tossed into the privy is a mystery, as well as the fact this route was Chicago, Burlington and Quincy, all across the river in Illinois! Ya gotta love a mystery. I already did my research and the same family lived there until 1909 for nearly 40 years, and the senior was a foundry foreman. So go figure. The only bottles I got was a local pharmacy, a Sutherlands Honey & tar, and one I never heard of, White's Cream Vermifuge. So, if not for the globes, it would have been a big hole for little return. Noting about 5 foot deep the wood liner was still in evidence, indicating it was a newer one, so I am sure there is an earlier privy somewhere. (The wood liners here are predominately newer 1890-1910 era.) Coupled with the fact there was only fill for about the first 6 feet, I suspect they capped the old privy and dug the "new" wood liner only to have indoor plumbing added a short time later. So I am hoping for an undipped 1870s or earlier privy to be discovered here. I think I probed out a likely spot same time as I probed this one out, so I will be opening that out when the weather is a little more accommodating, like October! Ha! Jack

 

[Robby Raccoon]

Now you need two glassless lanterns which take that style globe and are embossed with that railroad's name. A pair is always nice-- especially for decoration. How long was the railroad in business?

 

[Bass Assassin]

Those globes are very cool. Shocking that they aren't broken into 100 pcs. I don't think you are going to wait until October. I'm betting you will be digging again within a week! Thanks for the update Jack

 

[2find4me]

Another great post, those globes are amazing!

 

[sandchip]

Love those globes. Good digs, Jack.