BURIED CLAM SHELL REFUSE PILE

[mburnsgps]

I was detecting and going after a high tone when i came across this buried shell pile. It's extremely tough digging because of the density of the shells.
The pile was found near a former 19th century farmhouse that was demolished about 15 years ago.

I would like to know more about buried piles like these and what they mean to detectorists.

Is this common for 19th century farmhouses? Is this more common for colonial sites?

Any help would be appreciated.

thanks

mike

 

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[A2coins]

They must have liked clams

 

[ecmjamsit]

Could be a sign of a native American shell midden. Clams were an important food source.

 

[bertmaster2000]

Yes, could be a midden. Google them. They were Native American trash piles. Mostly organic matter, but you never know...

 

[Ahab8]

These buried shells can be representative of a trash pit. This was a common staple for early settlers. I’ve seen tons of these at early sites. While it could of course be a Native American shell midden I would sooner guess a trash pit could be there. I found one at a 17th Century site last year. I found shell and an ash layer. They would throw their trash and scraps in these pits then burn them. I dug it out and found a ton of marked 17th Century pipe stems, a couple of jetons and a Farthing. It’s certainly worth digging down to see what’s hidden below. It may be a sign of much earlier settlement at that site.

 

[Ahab8]

Dig down into it a bit and see if you’re getting iron signals on your machine. If you are that’s a good sign. I have a couple of sitters that I use on these pits. Bring a tarp with plastic grommets and put the dirt on there. Keep swinging over the dirt and remove the iron targets. I have a powerful magnet mounted on a stick to make this process easier. Early trash pits can be full of great finds....if that’s indeed what you have there. I get very excited when I see shell piles

 

[ToddsPoint]

Also, shell middens are non-acidic. Shells are made of calcium carbonate and when they break down they neutralize the acid in the soil. Which means you can find things that normally would break down in acidic soil. Gary

 

[mburnsgps]

Thank you to everyone who replied so far. These are exactly the kind of responses that I was looking for. I've only been detecting for 2.5 years and I was hoping to get veteran experience commenting. The answers you gave have given me motivation to keep digging into the pile. If I find anything, I will post it.

 

[Hawks88]

I agree with ToddsPoint.

 

[treblehunter]

I find them all the time on a lot of my sites, they look more like oyster shells to me, hard to tell from pix. Back in colonial times there were much more clams and oysters readily available, good luck on future excavation.

 

[mburnsgps]

I find them all the time on a lot of my sites, they look more like oyster shells to me, hard to tell from pix. Back in colonial times there were much more clams and oysters readily available, good luck on future excavation.

Thanks. I appreciate it.

 

[Professor of Engineering]

Dig deeper it may be a trash pit!

 

[Dug]

We find shell piles and shell deposits in my area too (coastal SC) and it is usually oyster shell here. Three reasons for the finds in my area is Indians, Civil War soldiers, and settlers. The latter two almost always contain pieces of black glass or feather edge pottery and sometimes artifacts. The Indian deposits will usually be just shell alone but once in a while may have rough brown pottery pieces.

 

[mburnsgps]

We find shell piles and shell deposits in my area too (coastal SC) and it is usually oyster shell here. Three reasons for the finds in my area is Indians, Civil War soldiers, and settlers. The latter two almost always contain pieces of black glass or feather edge pottery and sometimes artifacts. The Indian deposits will usually be just shell alone but once in a while may have rough brown pottery pieces.

Thanks. This is excellent info. Exactly what I was looking for.

 

[mburnsgps]

Thanks. I appreciate it.

I will do as you suggest.Thanks

 

[huntsman53]

From what I can see in the pics, they do appear to be Oyster Shells and they look as if they have been in the ground for a very long time.

 

[mburnsgps]

From what I can see in the pics, they do appear to be Oyster Shells and they look as if they have been in the ground for a very long time.

Thanks. I hope you are right and there are good finds nearby

 

[Dug]

Dig deeper it may be a trash pit!

Totally agree. When in doubt, dig it out.