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Privy diggers

I have dug a few privies before. I live in a very historic town and some of the finds are pretty cool. Beaufort actually had a large marsh area that the town used as a landfill and you can really find some nice bottles there. The problem is they have started to build houses on the area now and you of course need permission. Most people don't like you digging up their yard!

Robert in SC
 

It's a crappy job, but somebody's got to do it ;)
 

Hello Boys & Girls

Was just wondering.. Just how do you identify a possible privy site? Are there any telltale signs? Privy hunting sounds interesting to say the least. Maybe we should call them "Honey Holes"? LOL

Larry-El Paso
 

well my father and i used to dig to dig outhouse's in brooklyn n.y. we used to use a metal probe to find the walls of the hole. they where usually lined with stone. the probe was about 5 feet long with a handle. probe on an angle to find the wall's.
 

I have dug a few but my wife has an uncle in New Orleans that digs the privys from the old shotgun homes that date back
to the 1700's.... I can tell you his museum is unbelievable! It would take all day to tell you the items he has found. Some of the interesting items are, clay pipes, beautiful decorative potty bowls, porcelan dolls, false teeth. Two of his best finds
were identical Ink bottles valued at about $5000 each.
Start Digging because like metal detecting you never know what you will find.


lLarry
 

I just ordered a book on line from Digger Odell on searching privies and outhouses, unbelievable book. Well worth the ten bucks. Everything you ever wanted to know....
 

I never have yet, but if i run across one I'd dig it up. I have no doubt about the possibility of great finds.
 

Remember, all privys were convered up and a new privy would have been dug about every 10 years. Most were 10 to 20 yards from the house usually at a back corner because they did not want the neighbors visiting with all the smell. You need a good probe that can be purchased at a good Plumbing supply business. Start probing around until you hit glass or other objects and then you are probably on it. Some of the itmes can be 6 to 8 feet down. Be carefu and have fun. You never know what coming up out of the hole.



I heard that one old man down in Mississippi dropped his jacket in one hole of a privy. He went and got his fishing rod and started to fish it out when his grandson walked in and saw him and said.."Grandpa what cha doing you are not going to catch anything down there.. He said I dropped my jacket down this hole and need to get it out.. His grandson said you are not going to wear it now are you after its been down there. His grandpa said, OH NO.... but I left a good BISCUIT in the front pocket...


Larry
 

question. i hunt lots of old cellar holes and i was wondering if it was worth checking the wells. my friend made a long handle with a scoop at the end, but hasn't used it. think there could be good finds in a well? some of the wells look to be about 15 feet deep or so.
 

i would definately check the wells you will always have people tossing coins into the well. aalso like priveys they also used to throw out things once the well started to dry up
 

The wells in Kentucky seem to never dry up completely. I've seen three this year that are over 100 years old and still full of water (and a lot of sediment to boot). Rent yourself a trash pump and pump it dry!
 

Hi folks....

This is my first post here as I am a newbie. I dug bottles for about 10 years here near Philly. Many mills and races here. never found a privy pit or kitchen midden,but then again I wasn't looking. From what I've read, depressions in ground behind a structure is a good place to start digging. They would fill the last couple of feet with 'trash' which would eventually settle. After watching Battlefield Detectives on the History Channel my curiousity was peaked and I bought a detector last week and am anxious for the weather to break Any Philly area diggers out there??

Thanx for listening,

root
 

1320 said:
I just ordered a book on line from Digger Onull on searching privies and outhouses, unbelievable book. Well worth the ten bucks. Everything you ever wanted to know....
Click to expand...

Can you give a link to where you bought this book? I'd like to buy it too!

Thanks,

Lonewolfe
 

Ahh the good ole dyas. I used to live in Colorado and i was fortunate enough to hook up with a guy that took me privy hunting. Boy was that a lot of work. We would find a good spot mostly in the mountain towns around Clear Creek And Central City. But i will tell you this. Short of Metal detecting it is the surest way to find pieces of history. We found everything from old coins and cans to great old bottles and even some pocelain plates and even some dollls made of porcelain One time we dug up a Privy in a guys back yard and we pulled out two old Pearl gun handles. We were convinced the rest of the gun s were in there but never did find them. Finding the sites was easy enough but digging down sometime was a choir. Some shallow some really deep. It was a lot of fun though and I had a great time doing it.
Thanks for Bringing back a great memory.
Floater
 

Thanks, just ordered it!
 

Robert,

I just found a privy last weekend that has about 1' of water above the dirt. I reached in to feel around for the brick liner and pulled out several hand fulls of broken plates. After I got everything out that I can reach I tryed to probe it with a 5' probe and cannot even get the probe down for all the glass. I live in southeast texas and it is the rainy season. I will not be able to dig it until july when the water level is lower. I was trying to go to sleep last night and found myself thinking about what might be in it. HH

Hambone
 

;D I HAVE NOT AS OF YET BUT I HAVE PREMISSION TO DIG ONE AS SOON AS THE GROUND DRYS OUT A LITTLE
 

Are local old one room schoolhouse had a outhouse boys & girls a lady that used to go to it & her mother when it was open is going to show me the area she remembers they where. the park is being remodeled good time to do this but first I need to get a probe. SAQUASH<><
 

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