Where might the privy be?

[benbriggs]

Thanks for all the info, RICKJJ59W, I was thinking about the better likely hood of a dump, as I mentioned there was another home just up the back hill and to the east a bit, my grandfather has pointed me to a place where he has found old tin cans and other stuff all over the ground but the place is covered in poison ivy, so I may have to wait until some cooler weather comes along. I'm thinking that this could be the main dump for both houses and that older stuff is in there. I hope to scope out this other property from the top of the hill this weekend, I'll post what I see from there.

Can't dig until I get a probe, anyone have one they want to part with?

 

[madman]

you could make yer own......................

 

[Clam]

Ben, The first place to look on property like that is downwind and as rick said it could very likely have a dump somewhere, if it was a farmhouse than you can bet there is a dump where the original woodline would have been but far away from the house, they burned most of there trash thats why I am with rick and stay away from those rural houses. If you feel it was not a farmhouse than I would consentrate on the area that is downwind from the house and away from or downhill from the well. I have a few extra probes but don't know how I would get them to you.... Good luck and don't dig alone.....Greg

 

[willong]

Hi Ben,

Just in your few photos I can see contours to the ground that look like small swales--likely places to dump if they run away from the building far enough that the original lady of the house didn't have to look out her window at garbage while doing the dishes, or have to smell it while preparing meals.

Were there close neighbors to the house on the 1870 map, or was it an isolated homestead? Envision the property as it was 150 years ago, and think of the most likely and CONVENIENT place to dump that wouldn't be too hard to live with. Look at the banks of swales and ravines--sometimes you can even see unnatural looking bulges where people dumped over the bank and the trash got covered over the years. I found a ravine site that way in Washington once--stood across the gulley, looked back and noticed a suspicious, grass covered fan-shaped bulge on the side of the embankment. I probed it with just a pitchfork and immediately heard and felt the distinctive crunch of old decomposed tin cans--it was one of my best finds. If you do find a ravine dump, be sure to probe out its down-hill limit before you do any extensive digging. You will avoid double labor and potentially covering up good bottles if you start a trench across the full width of the dump at the down slope edge first. Then, gradually work upslope to the full depth of the dump with a potato rake or similar tool, while raking the spoils into the previously dug ground behind you. Nothing that old to dig out here in WA; I have a feeling that you are going to post some pictures to make me envious. Wish that I was there to lend a hand. Good luck!

Will

 

[RICKJJ59W]

when I see all this book writing on how and where to find a privy, it makes my head spin! JUST DO IT MAN.GO OUT AND WALK AROUND THE YARD , PROBE WALK AND PROBE SOME MORE AND SO ON UNTIL YOU FIND THE PIT.
THE END

 

[benbriggs]

Thanks for all the great advice everyone, I must agree with RICKJJ59W, the only way I'll find it for sure is to look for it. I have a probe on the way in a week or 2. This small map shows the house circled in yellow, the other structure to the right of it would have been up the hill in the pictures, as I mentioned it's no longer there. I'm going to look around this weekend. I'll post my findings for sure.

 

[benbriggs]

map

 

[cyberdigger]

make sure to check down where the creek is.. if you can.. people didn't think about pollution back then, everything seemed so natural..!