Trash dump

[Autumn]

Hello,

I am new here. Have a nephew digging in old trash dumps on the property I grew up on. He is digging for metal to haul off. He is laying bottles aside for me to go through. They are bottles from my era of growing up having been born in 1951.

One trash dump behind the house was there when I was growing up. About 20-30 years ago a brother in law pushed it back about 50 to 100 ft not far into the wood line. My parents bought the place in 1948. My sister and I went to our county court house and traced the property owners by deeds to past 1840. I know there was a log cabin house there before the house standing now that I was born and raised in. The dump was on level ground, it is still level until about 20 ft into the wood line and it all tapers down hill.

My question is: Because it is on level ground, would it be possible that before my parents moved there in 1948 there would have been a dump there all ready. Could there be trash...bottles, etc beneath and how would I go about starting to dig? Dig a hole to have a wall? My parents are gone. I do have a brother that is 70 yrs old that I will ask him what he remembers about it.

My main concern is would there be an older trash dump below that level ground? Any advice is very welcome.

Thanks!

 

[Autumn]

I see now that I have posted this in the wrong place. It is for bottles only. If someone could remove it for me that would be great. Sorry about that!

Thanks

 

[CWBookAuthor]

Your message appears to be in the right place.

Mike

 

[beendiggin]

Get a shovel or a rake, etc, some gloves, and start digging down where you think the original dump area was. Then you'll know for sure. A lot of times you just have to dig a bit deeper and a bit wider than you think and then the old stuff is there. A lot of newer dumps are indeed over older dumps.

 

[Autumn]

I am going this afternoon to talk with my brother. He lives in the house on the property. Gonna look at photos to determine where the dump was compared to the out house and hen house. They have been torn down but was there all my life time of growing up there. I never remember anything having been throw down into the out house but those that lived there before my parents may have, if it was already there and in the same spot. Where the out house and dump was are not 40-50 ft a part so don't know if there would have been anything thrown down into it instead of the dump.

So that is two places I try to be working on. They are out on open flat surface. I am terrified of snakes and sure don't want to get bit by one.

I have found several bottles in the last few days, mostly surface finds but did scratch around and found a "Federal Law Forbids". There is plenty to dig into in the woods that my nephew has not touched yet. Who knows, maybe the older dump is back there and my Dad just started one up closer. But I am scared to dig back there because of snakes. But will see...Y'alls post and photos is making it hard to resist although my back isn't as young as it once was!

Thanks for the info!

 

[madman]

soounds interesting the piles may have snakes living in them id use a tater rake incase one pops out!

 

[hemihampton]

Let me know if you find any old rusty dented Beer Cans? LEON.

 

[Autumn]

I talked with my brother. He doesn't remember a trash pile already there when they moved there but he was 6 when they moved there. He asked what would have been in bottles. I told him lots of stuff, such as vanilla flavoring. He said people around here would have had to make an all day trip if not longer to town to buy goods and were poor so a bottle of vanilla flavoring would have lasted them 2-3 years. We are 15 miles from the nearest bigger town.
He said there wouldn't be much in a trash pile anyway. I remember the one we threw stuff on was big enough but there was 11 of us kids over the years so I don't know how many kids others had that lived there. We traced the property back to 1840 but I don't know how long any one actually lived here. I know that nothing will be found unless I try and I will ponder on it until it cools down. I messed a little the other day and was ate up with something, perhaps turkey mites.

madman ... My nephew did come across a snake or two.

hemihampton ... Haven't see any rusted beer cans but plenty of beer bottles, some older quart size and gin/vodka bottles. Have seen a few Pepsi cans. A few other big amber bottles I think bleach may have been in but not Clorox. Lots of different sizes of amber bottles with screw top. I did find a Clorox bottle years ago but from my time frame.

All just trash but maybe there would be something better underneath. Just trying to determine if the older stuff would be beneath where the trashed was pushed back into the woods down a hill or on the level ground where it was pushed away from.

This is old school to y'all that have been digging for a while. I have never dug before so just learning and new to it all and reading a lot about it and watching videos all over the net. Having read the posts here I am learning, so thanks a bunch!

 

[hemihampton]

Older Pepsi cone tops are very collectible & valuable. The pepsi flat top little value unless really nice condition. 1930's-60's beer bottles have little value unless paper label in good condition. Could be some older better stuff under neath if you dig. Good Luck. LEON.