Privy Help

[Joshr29]

Hi everyone. Let me know if there is a better category that I should have put this in. I am hunting an old farmhouse that dates back to the late 9th century. I have found a dump site by the house that I have been digging. There is a cement floored privy and a cement cellar that is filled in with trash. My question is, what is the earliest that these could have been built? Thanks everyone for the help. Next time I'm there I will grab some pics.

 

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[MrSchulz]

Depends if you have a typo or if its really "9th Century". They would date back to when people started using them.

 

[bottlehunterofcoscob]

I'm sure he meant 9th century. I dig those all the time.

 

[Joshr29]

Sorry for the typo. It is 19th century. I was just wondering when people started using these and if its even worth digging. Thanks everyone. HH

 

[gerryk]

Sorry for the typo. It is 19th century. I was just wondering when people started using these and if its even worth digging. Thanks everyone. HH

One mans trash is another mans treasure. Wth that sais many tmes when people are moving they dump lots of things that they or others could or would oerwise use or fimd valuable.

 

[Joshr29]

And also it is in north texas. Thanks everyone.

 

[jgas]

Hey Josh, I have never dug a cement floor privy. In fact I have never dug one with a floor other than dirt. Albeit compacted soil or clay. Not even a brick floor on a brick lined pit. So not quite sure what you have there. A cistern possibly to hold water. But if it is full of stuff I would dig it out to see what kind of dates you get off of the items. But dont dig alone okay. Good Luck jgas

 

[gerryk]

Hey Josh, I have never dug a cement floor privy. In fact I have never dug one with a floor other than dirt. Albeit compacted soil or clay. Not even a brick floor on a brick lined pit. So not quite sure what you have there. A cistern possibly to hold water. But if it is full of stuff I would dig it out to see what kind of dates you get off of the items. But dont dig alone okay. Good Luck jgas

I didnt notice before that you said concrete. I would also think cistern if it is concrete. I would also not go in with no one else around.

 

[Joshr29]

I'm still very new at this so thank you both. The cement is about 6 foot by 6 foot and the round hole is in the middle at the very back. There is also a vent pipe coming out so this is why i was thinking privy. I just cant find any info on the time frame as to when normal folk would have started making them like that. I dug just a foot or so down where the hole was and found a couple of cold cream milk glass jars. On the other hand, there are no streams or creeks or anything that could have been a water source so I'm guessing that they would have also had to have a cistern somewhere. Normally I would just dig cuz I love being out there and doing that but this cement is about 10 inches thick and I don't want to bust it up for nothin. The land owner said he would love for me too break it apart but I was just hoping to date it a little better before them. Anyway, thank everyone for reading and I hope this helps clarify it a bit more. HH everyone.

 

[gerryk]

I'm still very new at this so thank you both. The cement is about 6 foot by 6 foot and the round hole is in the middle at the very back. There is also a vent pipe coming out so this is why i was thinking privy. I just cant find any info on the time frame as to when normal folk would have started making them like that. I dug just a foot or so down where the hole was and found a couple of cold cream milk glass jars. On the other hand, there are no streams or creeks or anything that could have been a water source so I'm guessing that they would have also had to have a cistern somewhere. Normally I would just dig cuz I love being out there and doing that but this cement is about 10 inches thick and I don't want to bust it up for nothin. The land owner said he would love for me too break it apart but I was just hoping to date it a little better before them. Anyway, thank everyone for reading and I hope this helps clarify it a bit more. HH everyone.

That coupd be an old cavitet septic system. I didnt know that type of system was around that long ago but my neighbor had one and it was almost 50 years old. That type of system was super high end for the time, even having an aerator that went into it. A this point, without digging the thing. Out you wont have much of a chance of figuring out what it was.
Being a firemen, i dont like the idea of so,eone digging in that alone and without a safety rope on.

 

[Joshr29]

Thanks for the reply Gerry. I work in the oilfield and deal with confined spaces quite often so it is not something I would do alone. There is a member on here that I may get with before too long to see what he thinks of it in person. Heck, I could even borrow a tripod winch and a safety belt from work if it seems a little dangerous. That's why I like this site so much. Everyone seems to keep others safety in mind in their replies.

The house was abandoned in the 1960's and their is plumbing in the house. What I can find online leads me to believe that it could be late 20's or early 30's but who knows. Why's funny is I started digging in the septic whole for the inside toilet (only because I saw a lot of broken glass on top) and I ended up digging some bottles from the late 19th century at only about 2 feet down. Can't quite figure that one out yet. Anyway, thanks again for the replies. HH