How to find a dump?

[The Bottleman]

Hey guys, my bottle fever as well as my curiosity is about to kill me if I don't find a dump. Maybe some of you more experienced diggers can give me insight on how you go about finding that there is a dump on a certain piece of property and then once you know its there how you find the dump on said property. Any and all answers will be appreciated,

Falcon "The Bottleman" Belew​

 

[DIGGINDAVE]

i'm been having really good luck following stone walls in old towns. walk creeks and rivers and look for shards in the water or near the bank. when you find them search the bank, especially areas that have natural erosion. scout when the leaves are off the trees.

 

[KBbottles]

Lately I've able to smell them....kidding. Search old farm properties, and along fields or where fields used to be. Also, talk to locals. Seriously. I was out a couple days ago jogging and minding my own business. Kept an eye out around old houses and stuff on my run. Saw a couple locals in a late 1800s house and they waved hello. I took a breather and talked to them for a bit. Sure enough, the wife hunts for arrowheads and has a massive collection. She also had a ton of bottles and sent me home with a couple local milks. I surprised them and came back the next day to share a couple of my finds. They told me about the old foundation I want to explore. She has permission to walk a lot of private owned farm fields. Could be a way in to search for bottles while she hunts arrowheads. You just never know.

 

[swizzle]

Yes,Yes, Yes, When talking with locals with the same interest generosity is the way to go. The last dump I found, although newer, was from a woman I work for. My first day to check out the jobs she had we started talking about old bottles. She has a decent little collection going. She also likes the pretty blue bottles. On my second day working for her I finished my job, left her a note and held it down on the porch with a screw top, blue ribbed, poison bottle. That night she called me up and told me where to find the biggest dump that I've ever dug. It appears to be all 1940-60's but I'm not complaining.

Also do the stone wall walk with a metal detector or a bottle probe. Research old maps. I have a map site for the new england states that dates to the late 1800's that I use frequently. Find a small settlement next to a step bank or a little ditch or small ravine next to a creek and you'll usually find a dump. Stone wall corners are usually where you find the dumps, Over steep banks at the edge of a field, at the end of a dead end road. Most will have the same thing in common. A steep bank or an out of sight, out of mind area. Keep looking I know I am. Swiz

 

[The Bottleman]

Thanks guys, what do you mean by walking stone walls in town? You can literally drive through the town of greenfield in 4-5 minutes if that long. All the old buildings have been torn down or built on top of and all the places around them are covered with concrete or asphalt. As for the locals, I know most of the people in Greenfield and as far as I know noone is a bottle collector of any sort. KBbottles you spoke of a couple living in an 1800s house, how did you know the approximate age of the house? Had you researched it or were their tell tale signs of its age? Being 15 i'm not the best judge of the age of houses and Dad doesn't really know that much either so any info you could give me on that would be helpful. Swiz what types of old maps are you talking about? Do you mean try to find sanborns or what? I've checked the surrounding towns and haven't found any libraries with access to sanborns yet.

 

[bostaurus]

If your county has a historical society you may be able to get help with house ages from them.

 

[swizzle]

Nope, Sanborns are nice to locate privies but not necessarily the best for finding dumps. Go to your library and ask them if you can view the county atlas. That should get you some mid to late 1800's maps. If you're looking for something close to home then your best bet is to talk to neighbors and maybe put up an ad at any local stores asking for old bottles and places to dig old bottles. If anyone is from your state or there abouts they might be able to get you an online source for old maps. Swiz

 

[The Bottleman]

Thanks swiz that should be pretty helpful, what will the county atlas tell me? I thought it would just be road maps?

 

[swizzle]

It can tell you a lot. Look for shifts in the road compared to a new map. Roads that use to dead end but now continue on could be where a dump was but now you drive on by it. Dead end streets by a steep bank. Do you know how to read topo maps? If not learn them and learn them well. A lot of times when roads were moved the old road was in use for many years to get back into the woods or to find a out of sight, out of mind spot to dump trash. I find a lot of dumps in nooks just off of a creek. You can also try walking creeks and looking for shards. Follow the shards and look at the creek banks as you go. A metal detector along the creek banks will help you out a bit if the shard trail seems to disappear. On the atlas maps you should see little black squares and a few white squares. The black squares will be houses and the white would be barns, mills and such. I've seen black squares in the middle of the woods with no apparent road going to the building. Find the oldest person in town and ask him where they use to throw trash away in town. The more you know the easier it is to find older places. If you happen to be walking in the woods and see flowers that seem to be out of place then a house might have been there without a cellar. The flowerbeds will last forever and give away some older places that leave no other evidence besides the flowers and what lies beneath the soil. Swiz