Privy Diggin........

[Matt in NH]

OK......I am starting to get frustrated in my search for privies. I made a great probe to help me find em but where ever I go I can't seem to locate them? The only ones I can find are the ones that are sunken in. I was wondering if any of you guys would be willing to share some of your experience with me to help me out?


Thanks

Matty

 

[bigkitty53]

Hi Matt,
Welcome to forum,although I see you have taken off running with your posting![] Some things you can try; Privies were placed so as to be reasonably convenient to the house and far enough away not to smell constantly.On a city lot try along the rear boundry.In rural areas,if the original building floorplan is known,stand outside the back door,(Usually the kitchen.) and look around.Is there an old stand of trees or tall shrubs nearby?Privies were often 'sceened' from view.Which way is the usual wind direction?Take a walk downwind.Look for a particularly lush,vibrant patch of grass,shrub or groundcover that stands out from the surrounding vegetation.(Well fertilized![])Is there a natural small depression nearby to site a household dump?They were often close to the outhouse where they were both used.
Lastly,consider the terrain.Rocky ground will suggest a location on an easy path from the house,(remember the privies got used at night too!)Ditto woodland.Visualise what the surrounding would look like cleared,Old growth trees only,none of the saplings,undergrowth you can see now.Does a path appear likely?Remember the shortest distance between 2 points...?The path is not likely to have a lot of twists and turns,it should be quite easy.Start looking for the markers!

Hope this helps and good luck!

KAT

 

[Matt in NH]

Thanks Bigkitty.......All the one I found so far have been in the country and don't have much in them other than broken pieces of pottery, glass shards, and the occasional spoon or fork? In the country I am assuming that people must have used dumps so not much got thrown into the privy. Also, the privies are very shallow, the deepest one I HAVE LOCATED WAS ONly about 4 feet. I guess I should start looking fo city privies. I have seen pictures of city privies being dug....they are deeper and have at least a few old bottles in them. It can be very discouraging at times.....but I guess thats how it goes?

Matty

 

[bigkitty53]

Hey Matt,
In the country homesteads usually had their own household dumps on the property,usually in the vicinity of the outhouse.Over here privvies don't usually yield much either,but they give us a good idea where to find the dump! Look for a nearby natural depression or cave,or even an old well-THAT'S where we find the goodies!

Keep trying and good luck!

KAT

 

[mysecrets88]

Hey Matty,
I am from MA., and have several privies sited out. Most of them are older homes 1790's. The older the homes the more privies to find and usually one after another. In some of the older cellar holes I have a harder time finding privies cause I think they just used the woods. I have found some of my bset stuff in the dumping grounds. I think that is where the action is.
Good Luck
Pat

 

[nirvine]

Finding privies out in the country is much harder than in the city where the area to search is limited because the properties are set up in lots that are defined by property lines which more often than not havent changed since the city was layed out. This rule doesn't always hold true, especially in older developed cities. On a country lot it could be anywhere, don't fight it usually the best way to find them is by sinks in the yard, if you find one chances are if there is another it is close by. Look for differences in topography. Besides sinks check flat areas in a yard that isn't so flat. Often times out in the country the holes werent lined and are very shallow because they could be moved as frequently as the people needed. I dug a trench that started on the north side of a house that faced East and went South as long as the length of the house and it was only 2-3 feet deep. The trash got newer the further south you went....They slid it along the same line for years.... Don't limit yourself by determining that all privies are the same, there are always exceptions....

 

[Matt in NH]

thanks for your help nirvine....I also notice from the privies I have located at cellar holes, that they don't have much buried in them....I feel this is because people in the country had many other options to dispose of their trash. MOst of the privies I have dug to this point have not been very deep, only 3-4'. Thanks again for your help.

MAtty

 

[john1832]

[]I just recieved a great email on privy hunting. (Out-houses here). I was told to look for lilac bushes off the back door. I guess it was a common practice to have the bushes near the privy. Just thought I'd share the information I recieved.

 

[strataman4]

Hi, I am fairly new to bottle digging and wanted to see what techniques people use to locate privies and dump sites. My question is what kind of probes do diggers use? How long are they, what are they made of, etc. How would you go about probing the ground? Every few feet or every few inches? What would be your opinions of using a metal detector? Would that help locate the privy faster or does the metal dector not penetrate deep enough to pick up a metal object in the pit? Please let me know your thoughts on this subject. Thanks.

Strataman

 

[LaidBackJack]

Cut notches in your probe & look for a white/grey deposit when you pull it out. This will indicate lime, & almost always means an old crapper.