How to find where outhouse was.

Thirty6fordguy

Jr. Member
May 22, 2016
21
73
Missouri
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minelab Etrac, Garrett GMH
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
On my property is a old house site dating well over 150 years old. Nothing there anymore except day lillies. I found this house site on a 1878 plat map so I took my skid steer out there and scraped the ground.And cleared it of brush and leaves. Sure enough under the leaves there is broken glass everywhere. Im planning on taking my etrac out there this fall after it cools off some where my wife can go too.

How do locate the privy site? Also how deep would bottles be?
 

epackage

Bronze Member
Sep 16, 2010
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Hewitt N.J.
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Look for depressions in the ground, if you've found glass dig in that area, also look for ash or anything that doesn't look like top soil. Depending where you are privies can be a few feet deep down to 30 feet in major cities like Philly...
 

kcm

Gold Member
Feb 29, 2016
5,790
7,085
NW Minnesota
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Tesoro Silver uMax
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Look for trees/shrubs that look like they might have been growing around the sides of the privy - larger trees on the outside and smaller where it would have sat. Also keep in mind all the fertilizer there was for awhile. :wink:
 

cje

Full Member
Apr 7, 2009
241
322
clinton ma
Detector(s) used
minelab sovereign xs
Visual sign would be a depression in the ground, but the best way to find and outhouse pit is to probe in a grid where the side yard and back yards were.
 

Bass

Silver Member
Jan 20, 2013
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If you use the etrac and hunt relics first, you might possibly find a privy with the detector, that is if they threw any metal in the top of it.
So, do you have 36 ford?
 

OP
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Thirty6fordguy

Jr. Member
May 22, 2016
21
73
Missouri
Detector(s) used
minelab Etrac, Garrett GMH
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I restored a 36 Ford several years ago. It was a real nice car but interest changed and I sold it.
 

Bass

Silver Member
Jan 20, 2013
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1,810
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Ok, love those old ones
 

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