National legends?

[deepbluedigger]

I'm a UK digger and collector, and we don't have privies full of bottles over here as you do in the States. At least we do, but they are very, very rare. No one knows why (and I've even spoken to many archaeologists about this one). Anyway, I love reading those privy digging stories that some folks on your side of the Atlantic put on their web pages (Eddies Privy Page, Scotts Privy page, etc), especially about the pontil pits.
Here's the question: Have there been any privies dug over there, maybe even way back in the 70s, that were so exceptional, crammed with fantastic stuff, that they have entered American Bottle Digging Folklore? I guess most that would fall into the 'completely unbelievably fantastic' category don't get publicised for various reasons, but maybe some are???
Love to hear about them, if so .....
DBD

 

[Clive freedman]

Me too...........! I love scanning the entries... I,m from the UK and the best dump i ever dug was about 15 yrs ago under the Wilkinson Sword building in Acton London. The Dump was 1860 -1890s And was an old clay pit. under the foundations of the now demolished factory.

Some amazing finds including Lilly Langtry pot lids, Rimmels, Bridenbachs, Piece and Lubiens etc and bottles wish Dumpy Codds with Red lips, Hybrids... We had it all to our selves for the best part of 6 -8 mths.

I remember it as if it was yesterday, a once in a life time experience, every digger has one! Very few dumps left in the UK now do you agree???

 

[deepwoods]

D&D - There was a couple of guys in the 70's that dug a large, deep privy behind an old gold rush era hotel in, I believe, the Sacremento area - the story made the cover of "Old Bottle Magazine" (probobly available somewhere) the blokes ended up with somewhere in the neighborhood of 1200+ mostly pontiled bottles; medicines, sodas, mineral waters, bitters - an amazing haul. Im sure theres a couple of old timers here who remember that story - if it didnt turn out to be a hoax.

 

[baltbottles]

My digging partner likes to tell the story of how in the late 1970s when they were building the jones falls expressway through downtown he came up on two fairly amateur diggers that had found a square bricklined privy and he watched them dig Baltimore torpedo after torpedo 21 in all, they were in every possible color. I wish I could find a hole like that.

Chris

 

[BRIAN S.]

Keep looking Chris .... there may be one out there still !
I heard stories years ago . .... of the " BIG DIG " in California. A lot of rare Western bottles were dug . Maybe some of the Western collectors on this site remember and can provide a story.

 

[deepbluedigger]

Just paid a delayed visit to Eddies Privy page, and I really felt for the guy when I read the story on this page:

http://www.privydigger.com/january_the_rest.htm

Great stuff, but it must have been a kind of torture to stand there and watch someone else pulling those beauties out! I guess that would count as a once in a lifetime 'dream hole' on that side of the pond?

DBD

 

[David E]

Hi DBD in UK, this is just a guess as to why you don't have many privies. Were not the Romans in England, heard that they had inside toilets and piped the wayst away. And maybe the privies you do find are in the farming areas and not in the cities because of the Romans. Just a guess anyway
Dave

 

[caldigs]

here is an article on the San Francisco BIG DIG of 1997..........epic bottles were found.
the article is towards the bottom of the page, njoy

http://members.tripod.com/~WaipahuHaole1/SanFrancisco.html

 

[deepwoods]

Chris - Did you see Andy Goldfranks stories about his buddies Christmas day dig in Baltimore or Andy's Staten Island dig. Talk about make you want to cry. You'll get yours - its almost always when you least expect it ; thats been my experience.

 

[baltbottles]

Hey J.D.

Yes i say andys artical of toms christmas day dig. i bought several of the bottles he found. No i've had a hole that we got 7 baltimore torpedoes and 3 squats out of it last spring andy is going to write an artical about it this summer for the bottle magazine. but there were all green ones. I want to dig a hole full of pretty puce and topaz ones lol we all can dream can't we.

Chris