diggermeister
Well-Known Member
Hey All, I was probing behind this old house that is vacant/abandoned when I look up to see a gentleman standing there watching me. I straightened up smiled and said., “Hey, how'er ya doinâ€.
He responded, “Good, whats ya uptoo?â€. He was eying my 4' probe with great suspicion.
“Well, just checkin' out the old place lookin' for bottles, dumps, old priviesâ€.
To which he responded by pointing, “over there is an old dumpâ€.
Thus began a conversation filled with wonderful knowledge of the local area and it's history.
It turns out the his own Grandfather had built this house in 1889. Granddad and his wife raised fifteen children it the two room structure. He pointed out where a filled in root cellar was and said it was buried in the 1930's with all of it's contents i.e.; jars bottles etc. He said he had scrambled around the more modern dump (1920's – 50's) . He pointed out that the “older dump†his Grandparents had used was in the next ravine and overgrown. He wasn't sure where the older privy was but said the one that the family had used until the 1960's was still standing “just over there in the thicketâ€. He was actually raised in the house as well 'til about age 8 then moved across the street to the house his Father built and is now the gentleman's home.
He then proceeded to tell me about this and that old house here and there in the nearby woods. The old Log House still standing down by the pond that bears his family name. Around the corner was a turn of the century house built and occupied for generations by a family of 'midgets', now vacant. And more...
By this time we are on a first name bases and I'm invited back to dig “all I want†and visit with him to see of the great stuff, including bottles, that he has found in these woods that he has wondered through since childhood. He would also like to show me around and point out where I might locate many “ol' spotsâ€.
Lesson learned: Get to know the locals. Engage them and listen. Be honest and friendly and most people will find our hobby interesting and venture to help us in our quest for history.
He responded, “Good, whats ya uptoo?â€. He was eying my 4' probe with great suspicion.
“Well, just checkin' out the old place lookin' for bottles, dumps, old priviesâ€.
To which he responded by pointing, “over there is an old dumpâ€.
Thus began a conversation filled with wonderful knowledge of the local area and it's history.
It turns out the his own Grandfather had built this house in 1889. Granddad and his wife raised fifteen children it the two room structure. He pointed out where a filled in root cellar was and said it was buried in the 1930's with all of it's contents i.e.; jars bottles etc. He said he had scrambled around the more modern dump (1920's – 50's) . He pointed out that the “older dump†his Grandparents had used was in the next ravine and overgrown. He wasn't sure where the older privy was but said the one that the family had used until the 1960's was still standing “just over there in the thicketâ€. He was actually raised in the house as well 'til about age 8 then moved across the street to the house his Father built and is now the gentleman's home.
He then proceeded to tell me about this and that old house here and there in the nearby woods. The old Log House still standing down by the pond that bears his family name. Around the corner was a turn of the century house built and occupied for generations by a family of 'midgets', now vacant. And more...
By this time we are on a first name bases and I'm invited back to dig “all I want†and visit with him to see of the great stuff, including bottles, that he has found in these woods that he has wondered through since childhood. He would also like to show me around and point out where I might locate many “ol' spotsâ€.
Lesson learned: Get to know the locals. Engage them and listen. Be honest and friendly and most people will find our hobby interesting and venture to help us in our quest for history.
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