Unexpected privy...UNDER BUILDING!

[David Fertig]

There's an Amish shop that I go to sometimes. Has an indoor privy (can I call it that if it's inside?). It can't be more then about 20 years old. It's on an interior wall where one building joins another older building, but it looks like it was built as part of the newer one. Looks like any other restroom except that instead of a toilet, there is a box sort of bench with a toilet seat - just like a privy. I didn't have a flash light, but it sounded large/deep.

 

[mr.fred]

ORIGINAL: RedGinger

ORIGINAL: mr.fred



Hope to get back in there--when all 3 of us can dig it!

3? [8|][]

4----my bad![8|]

 

[Wheelah23]

That's it, Joe & Co.! I've had enough of your amazing digs inside the bowels of Bradford buildings. I am determined to score one of my own before the year is out! Nothing else to do during the winter, anyway. I'll find what buildings have crawlspaces, and see if they'll let me squirm around under there in pursuit of glass. I already have a couple ex drugstores located. Nice finds, men! And many more to ya.

 

[JOETHECROW]

Thanks, Gunth, Jim, Tim, Madman, Steve (cobaltbot),Fred, Dave, and Connor...(hope I didn't miss anyone)...Oddly interesting this info on indoor privys....Strange as it may sound we've been hoping to secure permission for a local house that local tradesman folks insist has/had a, from the joists down to the dirt, wooden chute where there was once an actual indoor privy....Matt, I've noticed a lot of the additions at these tear down we go to seem to naturally fall where it was once practical to locate a privy....When I crawled under the still floored section of this current building yesterday (disgusting crawl, it was[:'(]) I happened upon either a stone liner or an old well,...the area was only 12 to 16" high and whatever this was, was mortored/cemented over...I couldn't see the top except to tell it had been sealed. (Might be something like Caldiger2 referred to) Strangely there were unmarked baby nursers scattered all over the surface...I crawled it because that's where Tom's "Hurlburt's Tracheal Drops" was found. Connor, We notice a lot of these buildings (including last nights),...had trap doors...which seemed to double as convinient trash holes...I say go for it. We've been surprised quite a few times.

 

[Penn Digger]

ORIGINAL: cobaltbot

Cool story - amazing pictorial druggist!

Steve,

Thanks. The derrick druggist bottle is neat because the town was an oil boom town around 1870 and still has the oldest continuosly operating oil refinery in the world. Around the time of that bottle nearly all the trees on the surrounding hills were cut down and there were hundreds, if not thousands of oil derricks everywhere. I have more than a hundred local druggists, but never saw this one before.


PD

 

[Penn Digger]

ORIGINAL: CALDIGR2

Many early day toilets were located inside large commercial structures. I have dug plenty over the years that were covered by a thin veneer of concrete. Often you could follow the cracks to where they joined and pop a hole dead center in the vault. Most were either thick redwood planks or unmortared brick. Get back after that one ASAP.

The privy pre-dated the present building for sure. There is an early 1880's house set to be torn down in the near future that has a long wooden chute off a side addition or porch. I say long because the house is built on a hill. We have permission to hit that one before or after it is torn down as well. No heat or electric lights on that dig though.

edit, I see Joe beat me to it.

PD

 

[Wheelah23]

We gotta see some pics... I'm a fan of bottles with weird pictures like that.

 

[JOETHECROW]

oil derricks everywhere

I'll say,...LoL, there was one right out back![]

 

[rockbot]

ORIGINAL: JOETHECROW

Ornate...

Nice digs Joe and company. Great variety. How deep does it go?

 

[CALDIGR2]

ORIGINAL: RedGinger

ORIGINAL: CALDIGR2

Many early day toilets were located inside large commercial structures. I have dug plenty over the years that were covered by a thin veneer of concrete. Often you could follow the cracks to where they joined and pop a hole dead center in the vault. Most were either thick redwood planks or unmortared brick. Get back after that one ASAP.

When did they start making those indoor privies?  I've heard of it, but I wondered if that is any indication of the age.

Sacramento, California, only goes back to 1849, but indoor commercial toilets were in use as soon as late in that year when the more or less "permanent"
structures were built.