Possible privy, could use some opinions

[kwalker]

I'm a dump digger by heart, but my neighbors' house, built around the same time as mine (late 1870s) has a huge brick lined cistern that's been capped over and what I think is a privy behind their garage. I've rolled over that spot with my lawn mower hundreds of times and always cursed at it, and walked by it hundreds of times more on my way to digging in the woods thinking it was a pot hole. However, I got a little interested in it ever since my neighbors denied me access to the cistern. I probed it out and my four foot probe sinks into the ground with ease, all the way to the handle. But when I pull it out there's no significant ash or anything I can see. Though it vaugely smells of ash. I also tried to find the walls but I haven't found anything such as bricks, stone or wood. I decided to dig a little bit, no more than a foot in and I pulled out two huge cinder blocks that have that 1950s - 60s look to them (dark, cindery, and 3 circular holes) and a few shards of young glass.

Is it possible this could be a privy? It's located far from the house, at least 100 to 200 feet. I've dug the houses dump no more than 50 feet behind the hole in the woods. It's location to the woods is what has me confused. The woods begins after a slope drop off of about 10 or 15 feet. This hole is probably five or six feet from the slope. How much soil erosion could have happened from the time they dug a privy to present day? If this isn't a privy, what could it be? I can post pictures if anyone needs a reference.

Thanks for your help on this sketchy topic, I've done my research on privys and read posts on here concerning them but I'm hesitant to ask permission to dig a 10 foot deep hole in my elderly neighbors' backyard and find nothing.

 

[cyberdigger]

If it's right near the cistern, it's probably a well.. you don't pee where you drink.. []

 

[kwalker]

Forgot to mention that, it's not near the cistern. It's around 100 to 125 feet away from it I'd say []

 

[RICKJJ59W]

ORIGINAL: kwalker

Forgot to mention that, it's not near the cistern. It's around 100 to 125 feet away from it I'd say []

Heres what ya you do man. "Start to dig it out" [] that way you will know more.

 

[cyberdigger]

Rick is right! but I still think it's a well.. []

 

[RICKJJ59W]

ORIGINAL: cyberdigger

Rick is right! but I still think it's a well.. []

I think it's a pit. lets make a bet,how about that shaved bottle you just bought lol

 

[cyberdigger]

LOL OK if you lose its all yourz! [8D]

 

[druggistnut]

A hundred plus years ago, there might have been a barn that far away. I have dug pits that far away that had absolutely no household items in them (food jars, doll parts, etc...) but were more of a trash pit and had a few bottles, to include liquor.
I say pit.
Bill

 

[CALDIGR2]

Several years ago we were probing a farmhouse site for more than a week before a privy was located. The 3 pits we dug were exactly 90 ft from what was the original back door. They were 22' apart,on center, and ranged in age from 1850 to 1865. The first pit was the earliest and among the OP bottles were a couple of nice bottles, a cathedral pickle and 4 cobalt sodas. 2 of the sodas were Eastern, a Hamilton Glass Works and a Parker. The others were local, both M.R./ Sacramento. One was spelled correctly, the other, a great rarity, had Sacramento mis-spelled as "Sacrimento".

Those "far out" pits were an unusually long walk on a cold day. Most privies we find are much closer to the residence. 40' is common, but some are nailed to the rear of the house. Probing systematically from the structure every 3' will suffice. Do it as a grid, probe side to side, then move forward 3' and repeat until all of the property is thoroughly ventilated. If there is, or was, a fence outlining the yard then chances are that the privies will be within that perimeter. It takes patience to find rural pits. Don't be tempted to hop scotch around randomly probing. I guarantee that the chances of missing a pit are good by not being systematic when "machine gunning" a rural property.

 

[kwalker]

Thanks a lot for your help guys. To answer/correct a few things brought up; my part of the neighborhood is residential. Even back in the 1800s. However, my house was the last house on my street for some time. However, looking at maps from the late 1880s shows no evidence of a livery, barn or stable like other houses in the town show. It would really help if I had some pics. So, here they are. The garage isn't old at all. 1940s at the oldest.

Distance from the house. My 4 foot probe for a benchmark

The hole

Proximity to the woods behind it