First find - old home site

[Culinary Caveman]

I found an old home site yesterday and located the trash pit, a small natural draw that contains lots of glass and rusted metal. A cursory exam netted me an old coke bottle, a ceramic bowl, a handfull of forged nails and a plated spoon marked Wm. Rodgers mfg co. AA I S. So I have a couple of questions.
Most of the glass in the trash pit is newer my gut feeling is to move toward the edge of the draw and dig deeper to look for older material. Am I correct in assuming this?
I found 2 depressions just a short distance from where the house stood, 1 is fairly large and the other a bit smaller. They don't look natural and I'm assuming 1 is the well and the other is the outhouse. If I'm right which hole bigger or smaller in y'alls experience should be the outhouse?
Also found a large oak tree nearby, 20+ feet in circumfrence that I'll check with a MD once it gets here.
Should I be looking for other landmarks for possible cache sites? Any help would be appreciated as I'm new to all of this.

 

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[niffler]

Get a spring steel probe for the privvy. Any hole that has been dug will feel much softer than the surrounding area. Or, if you find one area that is different than the surrounding area, like you hit a lot of rocks, brick, ashes or clinkers, possibly a privvy. The outhouse and well will be way apart from each other. 2 depressions next to each other = old and newer privvy together. I have found 3 or more outhouses lined up in a row, old to new. Probe them both. As far as the trash pit, yes the newer will probably be piled on the older. Also, with a draw to throw the trash in, the outhouse might not have much bottles in it, but it might too, you have to dig to find out. Good luck, Niffler

 

[Culinary Caveman]

Thanks niffler. As I said I am really new to all of this so I really appreciate your input and time. I agree with you about the holes as it occured to me yesterday that they were too close together to be outhouse and well so they must be outhouse and outhouse, a quick prod with a steel bar yesterday indicated softer soil in both holes than the surrounding dirt.
Once again, thank you and appreciate any advice you may have.

 

[Frankn]

I agree. Two holes are probably old outhouse sites. The well should be a good distance from the outhouse and the well will be UPHILL from the outhouse. By the way watch out for old wells. Some just had boards covering them and built up dirt. THE BOARDS DECAY and you can fall in. Read the land! Pathes and old out buildings will be depressed areas. Things were buried in site of a window near a known object like your big oak tree or a large rock or a fence post. Sometimes under a fencepost. Take your time. Just sit and look around and think where would I hide my valuables?

 

[leenie]

you could also use a post hole digger. you can dig to you find things than flair the hole bigger at the bottom. good luck

 

[Culinary Caveman]

Thanks for all of the tips. As soon as the snow melts off I'll get out to the site again and poke around a bit more.

 

[Frankn]

Hay Caveman, go out to the site with the snow on the ground and the sun low. You will see the shadow of every path that was ever there. Those low areas will stand out like a roadmap!

 

[GrayCloud]

And that is using your thinking cap.

 

[Culinary Caveman]

Frankn, I was just belly achin' about more snow in the forecast for tonight but now I'm a little excited to get out after it falls. Thanks a bunch for the tip. With all of the time I spend in the woods you'd have thought that I'd have already been on to this trick but it never even dawned on me. Thanks again, CC