How do you find where an outhouse was?

[Corroded_Copper]

Hi everyone!
I have a great opportunity to dig an outhouse on a property I live on. The house was built in 1700's and moved to its current location around 1800. I have been digging in a hilside dump and finding things as early as late 1800s / early 1900s, but I know there was one or more outhouse on the property. So my question is, HOW do you guys find where old outhouses used to be?

 

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[G.A.P.metal]

Down hill from the well,depressions in the ground,lielock bushes,4' spring steel T Handled Probe.
Gary

 

[surf]

Hello Corroded,

With a property of that age, there should be several privy pits. Look for any depressed areas along the rear property line, down wind of the house. Look for Lilac bushes, stone paths from the house to the rear property line. All bets are off, if this is a farm.

First one must have a probe. Next step is punching lots of holes and looking for previously disturbed ground or the walls of the privy. Probing is an art, and cannot be mastered in an afternoon. Here's a good guide by my buddy Rick: PRIVY LOCATING & DIGGING - 19th Century Bottle Diggers

Good luck with your search.

 

[Corroded_Copper]

All bets are off, if this is a farm.

This is, in fact, a farm. How does that effect it?

 

[Bass]

Because rural areas are a little different. They may have dumped bottles at the back of their property, under the house or in a ravine, or privy. Its anyone's guess when it comes to farms. Will there be some bottles in the privy? Very likely. They could also be scattered across the whole property in any nook, hole, or gulch.

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[epackage]

You go out in the yard with a spoon and taste spoonfuls of dirt, when the dirt tastes like **** you're in the right spot...

 

[Corroded_Copper]

You go out in the yard with a spoon and taste spoonfuls of dirt, when the dirt tastes like **** you're in the right spot...

Oh, ok. THANKS lol

 

[southern maine diver]

Geesh, Epackage...there must be a dozen old privies in my back yard if I use your method. That's where the dog was tied up!

 

[Corroded_Copper]

So I have been trying to locate the privy. Is it possible to find old maps/ ariel photo anywhere, and do they help?

 

[jgas]

Hey Copper, Jgas here, I have had my hands in the privy digs for just a bit. Absolutely go to your local library and get the maps of your area. Could give you more clues as to where the house was located. As you stated it was moved which was common practice. But the maps show property lines and other interesting tidbits that always help. Second, get that you wirobe ordered. Spring steel so that it wont bend. Look on line under privy probes or shlatters in Francesville Indiana. They have them in a few sizes. Now with that knowledge in mind what type of soil do you have? Clay, sand etc. It makes a huge difference with how much you will need to probe. Sometimes you get lucky and hit a pit right off the bat. Others may take hundreds of pokes. What you will be feeling for is the inconsistencies in the soil. You may feel where the probe sinks into the ground easier that other places throughout the yard. The privy dirt, once moved there, will be noticeably different. And you may feel the layering of the dirt and ash in the pit. They used ash, wood and coal ash to toss in to keep the smells down and just to discard this stuff. If its that old it will only be wood ash, coal was not around until the late 1800's. You will also feel for what is not indigenous to the ground there. Stuff that was tossed in and around the pit area, rocks, bricks field stones. Yours will most likely be field stones. So probe and the look at the tip to see what soil you brought up. There is always a little bit of the soil or ash left on the tip. It's an art of sort and once you get used to the feel of the ground as well as the types of soils you see on the probe tip you will get the hang of it. We generally can find an inner city pit behind a home within 10 minutes. A farm lot is way more difficult insofar as the yards are huge, the area to probe is a lot bigger. Try standing at your back door and imagine where you would put a privy, remember the weather, freezing cold and a blizzard. I sure don't want to run a 100 feet through the knee deep snow to go crap. Think like a colonial. My privy would be no more than 50 feet straight away from the back door. Start there and fan out from there. Probe obvious places. The depressions in the ground. Where the Lilacs are. The tree lines of the older trees. The 200 plus year old trees and shrubbery close by the back door. And if you do find out where the pit is. Cut a nice square out and have a blast. Wear gloves, and never ever ever ever dig alone! That's a must coming from experience. Get your gas and electric lines located as well if needed. Don't want to hit those things. They are costly, another word to the wise who has doled out cash for screwups. Let us know how it goes. Hope that helps a bit. JGAS