JUMPED THE FENCE

[Mainepontil]

Jumped the fence at the construction site my digging partner found. They exposed a brick lined privy right at the edge of the property. It was a nice quiet Sunday so I drove right up, put on my orange safety vest and hard hat and walked right over the fence.

People were coming and going but with my "construction gear" they just assumed I was a worker.

What does KEEP OUT really mean? Nothing when you can see a brick lined privy being exposed by construction. Go ahead, write me up for trespassing, I don't care.

What I am doing is saving pieces of history from being destroyed forever.

Here I was just starting to open the hole. It was loaded with bricks and busted pontils. The first piece out was a Kidders Ink.

I continued down about 4' through the brick then just when the bricks stopped....WATER

I had to stop because I did not have any muck gear or pumps. If it still is there next Sunday I'll be back with a pump.

Here is a shot from the street. You can see where I was digging off to the left.

Some of the pieces.

 

[dirtflicker]

Dude....you know if you can get back there and get into that privy your gonna get at least on embossed pontil....SWEEEEEEEEEEET!

 

[madpaddla]

AWESOME ! ! Vigilante historical digging. The orange vest is the best. Good luck on the dig. Great post. Madpaddla

 

[bttlmark]

Go Get Em'

 

[southern Maine diver]

Hey Joel...

Take it from me (I was in Maine Law enforcement for for nearly 17 years) "Keep Out" doesn't mean a thing until the property owner, agents of the property owner or someone with authority (the guy with the badge) comes up and orders you off the property. "Criminal Tresspass" charges can be enforced if you refuse to leave after having been ordered to do so by a law enforcement officer or by the property owner/agent in the presence of a law enforcement officer.

So, when you are told to leave (ordered to leave) near a "keep out" sign that you may or may not have seen, then you pick up your stuff and go... pretty simple as long as you are not breaking stuff, destroying property, flashing your privates or comitting a felony...[]

Wayne[&:]

 

[Mainepontil]

That's the way I've always seen it. I try to follow the law, unless there are bottles about to be destroyed.

If caught I would have just given them my historical/archaeological spiel. I make it a point to join the local and state historical societies, that way I can flash my membership card and sound somewhat official.

It's alot more cut and dry underwater isn't it? Finders keepers.

 

[Bottleman]

More power to you MainePontil!! I have done the same with pontiled construction sites like that but without the orange/hard helmet but with flashlights and night digging equipment! It’s not a good plan to teach to the newer diggers but Sundays seem to be the best for digging in areas like this. Get back there and show post some embossed pontils for us!

~~Tom