Hole in the woods....?

[SCholes]

All great insight and I definitely don't plan to go down there without using my camera first and having a buddy with me. I have a metal detector to search the surrounding area to determine if there were any signs of previous structures. Old satellite imagery doesn't indicate anything was there but who knows...I recently purchased the property but the previous owners said it's been there since they owned it and didn't know what it was for. They thought it was an old well and just put a wire fence around it to keep their goats and small animals from falling in.

I'll continue to post pics on progress and possible finds...

 

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[Toecutter]

lower your detector down in, might hear the gold coins!!

 

[Tom_in_CA]

lower your detector down in, might hear the gold coins!!

Haha. Or they might hear the trash (soda cans, etc...) that people have tossed in there.

I'm in the street sweeper business, and see this psychology first hand. Like for example, in a shopping center parking lot, you have a soda can or bottle or McDonalds bag. Where do you toss it ? Sure, some people will just drop it right @ their car door or whatever. But I've noticed the vast majority of people will tend to set it @ the nearest light pole. Or @ next to a planter island corner, etc.... All of which, of course, make it hard for the sweeper to reach (so we WISH they'd drop their trash in the middle of the lots, haha).

So that's just human nature that when you have trash, you're going to pitch it into shadows somewhere. Or "down a ravine", or "in the bushes", etc...

 

[IMAUDIGGER]

Yes and the trash is what you will eat to be looking for.
Newer stuff on top, goodies on bottom.

 

[Davers]

Looks like a dug well. We have them hereabouts and the sides are often supported with flat shale - hence the square shape.

A co-worker has one on his property that is a salt spring. It produces salty water and has been used for centuries. Also square because it was lined with shale.

I was thinking a well also.

Another ? is SC Low , Middle or High country?
Upstate is what i'm thinking .

 

[Davers]

Haha. Or they might hear the trash (soda cans, etc...) that people have tossed in there.

I'm in the street sweeper business, and see this psychology first hand. Like for example, in a shopping center parking lot, you have a soda can or bottle or McDonalds bag. Where do you toss it ? Sure, some people will just drop it right @ their car door or whatever. But I've noticed the vast majority of people will tend to set it @ the nearest light pole. Or @ next to a planter island corner, etc.... All of which, of course, make it hard for the sweeper to reach (so we WISH they'd drop their trash in the middle of the lots, haha).

So that's just human nature that when you have trash, you're going to pitch it into shadows somewhere. Or "down a ravine", or "in the bushes", etc...

I HATE! trash in the Bushes , Woods esp, small pieces ....so hard to clean up. Plastic is the worst of course.

 

[Toecutter]

Could lower a heavy duty magnet down see what sticks.... cast iron pot of gold?? lol

 

[IMAUDIGGER]

Actually, it was me and not Tom who stated that it is an old Spring Hole Box not that it matters! However, you are correct, folks in the mostly in the old days (from the 1600's and 1700's to as late as the early to mid 1900's) would sometimes hide valuables in Spring Box Holes and Wells to secure it from thieves or troops occupying or moving through the area. From the appearance of the hole, the cut/sheared rock faces and the moss/lichen growth, I would say that it is well over one hundred years old. I have seen many similar holes in the mountains here while growing up and running the hills, hollers and ridges while digging Ginseng and/or hunting that were dug and cut out by the Settlers in the late 1700's to mid 1800's.

I caught that mix up, but was lazy about correcting the record.
I’ve never seen square wells around my area, but it sounds like it was a common construction practice back east.

Many times after the water dried up or perhaps water was piped to the home, the well was used as a convient place to dispose of trash, such as old bottles. Things also fell out of pockets when leaning over the hole.

 

[Red James Cash]

Im in the east,i have never seen a square well lol.

 

[pa-dirt_nc-sand]

My guess is that it is a well. Looks like the sides are cement making it most likely 1900’s.

 

[Robot]

What...No Tree Roots?

It appears there are no protruding Roots!

Logic... would have whom ever dug it, would have had to cut away the roots from the trees shown to dig this pit and if these trees are still alive they should have regrown their Roots back into this Pit.

No roots are shown in the pit.

The Tree Rings of one of these trees would then indicate roughly the time line when this Pit was dug.

 

[smokeythecat]

I have never seen a square well hole either. BTW those trees are not too old. Maybe they're just pop ups.

 

[Robot]

I have never seen a square well hole either. BTW those trees are not too old. Maybe they're just pop ups.

Pop ups...Without Roots?

 

[randywa]

I think it's an old cistern. There's 3 on the place I live on, one round and lined with field rock, one oval ,lined with brick, and one rectangled, line with cut limestone. They seem like they would make great copperhead factories. But I'm jumpy that way.

 

[huntsman53]

It appears there are no protruding Roots!

Logic... would have whom ever dug it, would have had to cut away the roots from the trees shown to dig this pit and if these trees are still alive they should have regrown their Roots back into this Pit.

No roots are shown in the pit.

The Tree Rings of one of these trees would then indicate roughly the time line when this Pit was dug.

View attachment 1678424

As others have stated, the trees are not that old (possibly 20 years old but more likely 15 years or less) but the hole is much, much older! There are no roots in the hole because as the trees grew up around it and especially the one partially growing over the side of the hole, learned a long time ago, that there is no soil and water in the void and it's roots grew outward away from the hole. Sure, within the tree's first 5 years of life, it likely threw out some feeder roots in search of life sustaining soil and water but the roots died and fell into the hole due to lack of anything to sustain them. By the way, the tree that is partially growing over the side of the hole, appears to be a Wild Black Cherry based on it's bark and their' roots are well known for growing around obstructions and voids that contain no soil or water!

 

[Gare]

when i use to deer and elk hunt i was in Wyoming up on a mountain there was a shaft like this under where a log cabin used to be. It seems like the person or persons living there mined in the winter time.

IMAUDIGGER PLEASE be careful shafts like this can have a lot of DEADLY Vapors in them. (decaying animals examples for one ) People have lost there lives because they was over come by deadly gasses

 

[devldog]

I know a couple of politicians that I'd gladly volunteer to send down to check this hole out........rope would be optional. Lol Seriously, I hope you can find out what this is or was. Just be careful in the investigative process. Interesting.

 

[creskol]

I have never seen a square well hole either. BTW those trees are not too old. Maybe they're just pop ups.

It depends on the neck of the woods you are in.. I have seen trees smaller than that that are over 100 years old.

 

[Limitool]

I'd sure like to lower my 500 lb rated magnet down there... might be very interesting Wanna take a trip Frank if invited?

 

[huntsman53]

I'd sure like to lower my 500 lb rated magnet down there... might be very interesting Wanna take a trip Frank if invited?

You bet Brad. Question is, if something is in the hole that weighs 500 lbs, how in the hell are two lightweights going to get it out?