Calling All Privy Experts!

[Minkey]

There are two old home site locations within walking distance from my house, both of which are in fairly dense woods.One site dates back to the 1830's and the other, all the way back to 1715. I am trying to determine where the privies might be for these two sites. I have a 5' spring steel probe coming in the mail this week. I'm really excited to dig for glass bottles and the like but I just don't have any experience in locating privies, so I don't really know what to look for. Any help would be very appreciated!!

 

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[surf]

Hey Minkey,

Are we talking about an urban setting? Was it an urban setting in the 19th Century?

Get ready for lots of probing. Have a double portion of Wheaties before embarking.

Have you viewed Sanborn maps? Can you determine rear property lines? If you can determine rear property lines, grid search the back line. You're trying to "feel" for previously disturbed ground. You can almost fall on your face, and bury your probe if you hit dead center in an unobstructed ashy old privy.

If you are lucky enough to find one, you wanna determine where the side walls are, if possible. Then you dig.

Probing is an art, acquired only after punching an awful lotta holes. You should probe any depressions. You should look for lilac bushes, or any plant life that displays unusually vigorous growth, as if rooted in ultra fertilized soil. You gotta "listen" for the "tink" & or "crunch" of old glass hit by steel. Inspect the dirt samples brought up by your probe. Black & ashy is what you're looking for...

Watch the video of Privy Master Rick:

Old properties, such as you describe, probably had multiple pits.

Good luck, dig deep, and please give us progress reports.

 

[Bass]

The advice surf just put out there is about as good as its gonna get. 99.9 percent of all privies were behind the house and downwind. I would start by looking over the site and trying to determine the layout of the house. Then work the area behind the house first and the sides of the house second. Make sure you have a pair of leather gloves and a tube of ben-gay at home! Happy hunting and keep us posted. I have a similar site that i can't wait to work but i can't touch it till december.

 

[Minkey]

Thanks a lot for the help guys! I'll post any progress I make!

 

[Bass]

What part of the country do you live? That also has bearing on your search. In the deep south, most all of the ground is soft anyway. When you are looking for the privy, there may be a layer of stone, brick, or broken glass near the top. This is just fill material to help cover the hole.

 

[Minkey]

I live in Massachusetts

 

[Bass]

Then you shouldn't have too much of a problem telling the difference between disturbed and undisturbed ground. Good luck to you and be patient. You may have to make several hundred probes to find the privy. Hope to see some photos soon. Both homesites could produce some really nice finds, especially the older one.