pjritter
Well-Known Member
Friday afternoon seemed like a good time to drive from NYC to Philly to beat traffic. I picked up Toby and Tim in Brooklyn around 1230pm. We made good time and got to Philly around 3pm. We quickly assessed the city for obvious pits by driving around. Grabbed lots of beer and went to digger George's place. We all drank and discussed many philosophies on the subject of finding. Saturday morning was the first day of digging. Geo took us to a site where we immediately started digging two brick liners filled with ash. they did not produce much except for a hutch and a 1906 pa license plate. We also dug a shallow wood barrel that was very unproductive. We began to dig a large brick liner around 3 pm. We covered it up and returned to beer and discussion. Sunday took all day. The privy was not only wide but very deep and laden with a wonderful use layer. The aroma of the use layer was absolutely amazing. The methane smelling use layer dated 1850-1865. John (PhilaJDH) stopped by to sort through artifacts and fill in later. Many bottles were found. Among the artifacts recovered and rescued were a violin and 3 leather whips. No pictures of the violin yet because it is being submerged and preserved right now. Please enjoy the pictures of the digs and finds...a great time was had by all.