Digging old trash pits

[hunting for Wheaties]

i have a trash pit that was being dumped into since the civil war and was being used till just recently until the old man passed how deep would i have to dig to start finding old stuff (40s and back)

 

[Jason in Enid]

As deep as you have to! Every pit was different, and sometimes they would cover things with a layer of dirt so keep going deeper after hitting "bottom" just to make sure. I would try to find the edge of the pit, dig down, then work your way sideways into it. Go slow, it's a 3-d jigsaw puzzle and glass breaks easy.

 

[cudamark]

A lot will depend on whether the area has been plowed or not. If it has, items from any year could be at any level. If not, try to figure out where they started dumping and concentrate there. If it's just one big pile, the good stuff will be on the bottom. Dig CAREFULLY! both for your safety and to keep from damaging a possibly great find.

 

[hunting for Wheaties]

A lot will depend on whether the area has been plowed or not. If it has, items from any year could be at any level. If not, try to figure out where they started dumping and concentrate there. If it's just one big pile, the good stuff will be on the bottom. Dig CAREFULLY! both for your safety and to keep from damaging a possibly great find.

The house was built late 1800s and im really looking for good buttons and silver spoons and good bottles do u think i have the potential with to find that stuff there

 

[GatorBoy]

As deep as you have to! Every pit was different, and sometimes they would cover things with a layer of dirt so keep going deeper after hitting "bottom" just to make sure. I would try to find the edge of the pit, dig down, then work your way sideways into it. Go slow, it's a 3-d jigsaw puzzle and glass breaks easy.

I would go about it exactly like that... To be sure you're not losing buttons in clods of dirt and so forth you might want to sift through some hardware screen or something.
If you have a metal detector with discrimination I would skan around the perimeter of that as I'm sure there's lots of junk iron but there could very easily be some coins and buttons out away from the main pit.
Also keep an eye out for things like clay Marbles and pipes

 

[BryanM362]

The house was built late 1800s and im really looking for good buttons and silver spoons and good bottles do u think i have the potential with to find that stuff there

Absolutely there is potential there. As far as how deep, one variable is how much was dumped each year. Screening seems like the best option to me.

 

[cudamark]

The house was built late 1800s and im really looking for good buttons and silver spoons and good bottles do u think i have the potential with to find that stuff there

Oh, so this is a private residence trash pit. All those items should be there but maybe not in the quantities you like. I'd also find out where the outhouse was and do a dig there also.