Privy Digging Question...

[Brendan M.]

Hello Everyone,

The old house site I've been hunting (which has given up an incredible amount of relics) has an intact, four-seater, his/her privy. Based on what has been in the ground, I can only imagine the kind of goodies still intact down in the latrine.

So the question is this: How can I retrieve whatever is down there? Demolishing the privy is definitely not an option. Has anyone ever tackled this before?

Thanks in advance for your help.

Cheers and HH,
Brendan

 

[panzermeyer]

I would jack up the privy and move it or else dig down into it from behind the privy.Just be careful ! HH...Panz

 

[mamabear]

go to this site, they are a bunch of fun crazy guys that don't mind sharing their knowledge.
antique-bottles.net hope you get your ? answered

 

[Skrimpy]

Try antiquebottlediggers.com also. Some of the guys from antique-bottles.net migrated over there. I would get permission to move the privy. I wouldn't go digging from the side...if you start knocking the foundation apart you might induce a cave in, and you don't want to be 15 feet down when it happens. I think one guy at the site (Bobby) I mention mostly digs privys down in Tennessee. I would give him a hollar first.

 

[daytondigger]

I would have to say that the outhouse you currently see was probably built well into the 1900's. Most privies were used for 15 or 20 years tops. The privies you want to dig will be the ones from the 1800's. Find yourself a probe, I use GM trunk rods out of 80's model full size cars from the local salvage yard. Use a straight section and have someone weld on a handle made of steel pipe and a ball bearing or weld at the tip larger than the rod. Start near the current privy and probe the ground looking for the older privies that were filled in long ago. The ground feels different where something has previously been dug. The tip will typically show ash, coal or darker soil when you find the right spot. If you hit glass it will resonate through the spring metal probe and make a "tink" sound. If something feels different, angle probe to find walls. Walls were often stone, brick or wood. If it's wood lined, the wood has probably rotted away and you have to probe slowly to feel the more solid undisturbed ground. If in doubt, test whole it. Lay tarps down and lay the sod off to the side and dig. It takes a lot of practice to get good at it.

 

[Brendan M.]

Thanks everyone who've helped with this so far: panzermeyer, mamabear, skrimpy, daytondigger, TreasureTales, and Joe G. It is much appreciated!

If I end up digging this place, I'll be sure to post the goods.

Cheers and HH,
Brendan

 

[Skrimpy]

I would have to say that the outhouse you currently see was probably built well into the 1900's...Find yourself a probe...Start near the current privy and probe the ground looking for the older privies that were filled in long ago. The ground feels different where something has previously been dug. The tip will typically show ash, coal or darker soil when you find the right spot....

Dayton,
I wasn't thinking like this. I concur completely...unless he doesn't find any other privys. If none other present they probably went with only one privy at this residence and paid to have it dipped every once and a while. Maybe not worth the time unless they get all the way down to the corners. Might get lucky that the dippers didn't do such a good job and find a bottle or two.

 

[Nu2Poo]

Personally, I wouldn't mess with it

Unless you find that the hole has been filled in already. Can you see the walls? What type of walls are you dealing with? I think it is too new. Try probing adjacent to that standing building. Depending on age of house on the site, there may be an older, filled in privy real close to the standing one.
I dig with Eddie. He is the fella that someone mentioned earlier. Eddie is a real knowlegeable fella. Email him (yes that is a good email addy) and get his opinion as well. I do feel you will most likely find an older privy nearby though. Best of luck.

 

[Gilligan]

I too have followed the writings of Eddie at privydigger.com. The guy is a wealth of knowledge and has, in my opinion, probably the best website out there on privy digging. He and his partners are madmen, human moles. I would hate to live near them, because no outhouse location is safe when they are around. Awesome group of folks, Bryan