Can someone help with finding privies?

[Goldenplug]

So basically I found a location on a map from 1857 that has around 20 houses. They are for the most part block row houses. Today it's just overgrown with trees and grass/small shrubs. I went there yesterday with a 4 ft. probe and tried my luck but I am having trouble. One reason is I've never actually found and dug one. (So there's that). But I have read enough to know where they generally are in relation to the house. Since the houses are gone now I'm left probing a large area. This was an interesting hole. 4ft probe went right in. Large chunks of concrete or rock lined it. I'm not sure what to make of that. There was another similar one too. I'm assuming there has to be MANY privies back in this place. Also not sure what you guys look for on the end of the probe? I'm sure there's no substitute for real life experience in this matter but any advice you guys could provide me would be nice. I have a couple people that will help me dig once I locate them. Thanks in advance. I guess I will post one of my bottles while Im here...

 

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[digging440yrs]

Look for sanborn fire ins. maps, and check this out----privy digging Wikipedia

 

[Bass]

I would start with the hole you have found. It could be a privy a well a cistern or none of the above. But you can start on it and see what happens. Try to imagine where the houses sat, look for old foundations. The privy's will be behind the houses likely next to the back property lines. Some privy's were lined with brick, stone, wood or nothing. Please keep us posted, I'm interested to see how this works out for you. It could be a gold mine

 

[Goldenplug]

Thanks, I will let you know. There should be lots of privies.

 

[villagenut]

Look for sanborn fire ins. maps, and check this out----privy digging Wikipedia

I must have a raw deal here where I live....all of the Sanborn maps of my area show cisterns,water tanks,sheds and even chicken coops...but no outhouses. Never have figured that out. I reckon that it was not important for insurance purposes here in my neck of the woods.Would be nice though,but they were often filled in and new ones dug, so maybe that is why

 

[Bass]

Could be the reason. I think sometimes it depended on the mapmaker. These people were hired out by Sanborn and given some guidelines to follow. I've seen maps that included outhouses and some that did not. However, the maps are supposed to be made to scale and measurements on the maps are for the most part spot on. If you know where the buildings were, you should be able to locate the privy

 

[Goldenplug]

The map shows where the buildings were but the foundations are either gone or well hidden by grass and soil. There is a small brick foundation that's still exposed in there which would have been in a backyard.

 

[Bass]

Are the roads still there?
On property like you are describing, I would start off by looking for depressions in the ground.

 

[Goldenplug]

The road is there. I was probing depressions in the ground and I did sink the probe all the way into several spots but I couldn't tell exactly what I was going through. I think that tomorrow after work I'm gonna bring my shovel along with the probe and dig down into some of the more suspicious spots. If I do I will take pictures to post.

 

[diggingthe1]

I wonder if anyone has used a GPR detector to find privies? It would be worth it to rent for an hour if it worked. They used them to find grave sites at our cemetary and it worked. Just a thought. I keep thinking about it. Good luck. I would try each side of where you think the back of the property lines are. Hope you get into a mess of bottles

 

[Goldenplug]

Interesting thought.

 

[DeepseekerADS]

You've already mentioned probing depressions. Even if I hadn't used the privy at my house as a child, I know exactly where it was....

The depression in the ground in the back yard behind my house - a very noticeable depression.

 

[Goldenplug]

Time has taken its toll on these properties. It's not as easy as finding a privy behind a house because virtually all landmarks are gone. All there's left is a road and land. I'll do my best. Odds are certainly in my favor.

 

[Bass]

There should be some depressions in the ground.

 

[Goldenplug]

Gosh you guys make it sound so simple! I went after work looking to dig some of the spots I probed. I wish I brought the probe with me but I only had about 90 minutes. Long story short I found no definitive signs I hit any privies. ..This area is full of ash and bricks. So there could be bottles all around. Not sure at what point this became a dumping ground. Found this thing, looks like a thimble.. Here's some other spots I checked.. This spot was probably the most promising looking depression I saw. (I cut the grass out). It looked rectangular and it was uniformly sunk in. When I started digging down it looked just like native clay so I gave up there. clay. here's another. I started digging it and it had huge field stones blocking me. Here's a nice shard I found digging around.. finally here's another depression I began digging that seemed full of bricks! I think when they took the houses down they probably bulldozed the land. That might be why the depressions aren't as evident as they ought to be. Sorry there's nothing to new yet.

 

[Bass]

Try probing a few feet from the road and see how hard it is to penetrate the ground. Then go back to these places and see if you can sink the probe in them. If any of them are privies, you will know.

 

[Goldenplug]

Thx bass I'm not giving up until I see one. Dug or not dug.

 

[Bass]

Oh, there's a couple in there. They may have been disturbed by a dozier but keep at it, you will find one of them. The rectangular hole, after you hit clay did you try to push the probe through the clay? It could have been a cap

 

[Goldenplug]

No I left the probe in the car. D'Oh!