Cistern?

[SkyPirate]

Went exploring a few weeks ago. In the middle of the woods I stumble upon this. All made of concrete, the older kind with lots of pebbles. I am guessing it is a cistern of some kind since it is full of water. About 50 feet down hill from the cistern is this rectangle concrete box in the ground, just beyond this are 6 smaller evenly spaced concrete squares. They are not in a straight line but are laid out on an angle and running down hill. It's a gradual hill, not too steep and at the bottom is a small stream. There is nothing else around except some old clay type pieces of pipe (see picture) The area is completely grown over with trees and bushes and vines. I am wondering if anyone out there may know what this once was? And maybe how old it is? Thanks.

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

DR.ÖTEK Metal Detector, Waterproof Gold Detector, Pinpoint & Terrain Modes, Professional Metal Detector - Grab it through Amazon!

[vayank54]

Looks like a septic tank and drainfield. Are there holes in the sides of the smaller boxes. An old drainfiel would explain the pipe too. In a drain field the septic tank holds the solids and the liquids go to distribution boxes and from there goes into lines, that are gravel filled ditches

 

[SkyPirate]

Looks like a septic tank and drainfield. Are there holes in the sides of the smaller boxes. An old drainfiel would explain the pipe too. In a drain field the septic tank holds the solids and the liquids go to distribution boxes and from there goes into lines, that are gravel filled ditches

No holes in the smaller boxes. I was thinking they might be made to hold a wooden square post of some knnd, maybe to support an above ground pipe.

 

[vayank54]

Odd. I don't know what it could be even they way it is laid out in the sketch looks like a drainfield. Sorry I can't be of more help

 

[SkyPirate]

Odd. I don't know what it could be even they way it is laid out in the sketch looks like a drainfield. Sorry I can't be of more help

Next time I head over that way I will take some measurements and make a better diagram. It's strange finding these kind of things out in the middle of nowhere. I gues it was somewhere at one time in the past.

 

[Monty]

You might check it out on google earth and see if you can tell better how it's laid out. See if you can find an old timer who might have known or heard about what was there. See if the library might have some old maps, newspapers, etc. Monty

 

[deepskyal]

Try that old topo website. Check the maps forum for the web address. I've come across an old foundation recently that also has a couple square boxes which I saw as some sort of cistern system.
Is there an old stream or river close by...a natural spring? That would be a good indicator.

Fortunately, there is still somewhat of a foundation that I can reference to the boxes. See if you can find trails of nails where a wood wall maybe once was. Might be a few layers of dirt over what used to be a foundation...soil erosion on the hillside, etc.

Is this site pretty remote? Maybe it's a bunch of old outhouses from a bygone lumber camp or something similar. A CCC camp Just tossin ideas.

Check those old topos...they do ID a lot.

Al

 

[deepskyal]

Hard to make out in the pic, but here's one of the concrete squares I found. This was a homesite from the mid/late 1800's according to the maps of the area.
Aslos...with a descerning eye...you can spot foundation sections, walls...piles of bricks...etc.

Where the drain goes under the tracks...this was once the Pennsylvania Canal. The railroad bought the property not long after the canal when rail-freight was found cheaper than a boat being pulled by some mules or horses. They simply filled in the canal with gravel or slag and laid their tracks.

A lot of this information was easily found thru maps and newspaper articles on line.

Good luck with the site...sounds fun.

Al

 

[vayank54]

Odd. I don't know what it could be even they way it is laid out in the sketch looks like a drainfield. Sorry I can't be of more help

Next time I head over that way I will take some measurements and make a better diagram. It's strange finding these kind of things out in the middle of nowhere. I gues it was somewhere at one time in the past.

Ok I know what you mean about some things you find in the middle of nowhere. Looks like you've gotten some good advice. Hopefully you will be able to find out what it was. There is a place near me. It's on a high hill way back in the woods. When we saw it we just knew it was a house site.Locust & apple trees, rose bushes, flowers, & boxwoods out in the middle of a big hardwoods. The only metal we dug there was one shotgun shell and a piece of barbed wire. It's not a house site or a cemetary and no one knows anything about the place. Just plain strange.

 

[TxTim]

Just a guess-
Any evidence of charcoal or soot?
Possibly a cold smoker/smokehouse setup.

 

[geo4472]

maye it was an old metal forge at one time the different sizes for different size objects to cool them in does it look like water would of stayed in the boxes?

 

[timekiller]

Pics. 4-5 are watering troughs for farm animals see them alot like that here on the coast and age would be at these sites maybe late 1800's-early 1900's and come in many styles I've seen around here but alot like pic 4-5 the smaller ones could also be or could be old out houses some of them had concreat bottoms in them like those.
Fig. 95—An old watering trough, an excellent breeding-place for mosquitoes Around here everthing is

 

[timekiller]

The top one I'd say is a Cistern but they also came in different styles. I've seen some that look close to it but not so complete like that one. There is more of the old round type with a concreat doom top on them around here that are the kind recessed in the ground like that.The rectangle ones here are usually above the ground.

 

[timekiller]

These pics are from a book on the Island I grew up on.First pic is of the doomed kind of cistern the ones I see most of left around here.The second pic. is the above ground kind like we had when I was a kid.The third pic. is a good reason why they had to be above ground

 

[Monty]

Look for remains of old road or trail leading up to the structures and try to figure out where it originates. Monty

 

[SkyPirate]

You might check it out on google earth and see if you can tell better how it's laid out. See if you can find an old timer who might have known or heard about what was there. See if the library might have some old maps, newspapers, etc. Monty

Too overgrown for Google maps

 

[SkyPirate]

Try that old topo website. Check the maps forum for the web address. I've come across an old foundation recently that also has a couple square boxes which I saw as some sort of cistern system.
Is there an old stream or river close by...a natural spring? That would be a good indicator.

Fortunately, there is still somewhat of a foundation that I can reference to the boxes. See if you can find trails of nails where a wood wall maybe once was. Might be a few layers of dirt over what used to be a foundation...soil erosion on the hillside, etc.

Is this site pretty remote? Maybe it's a bunch of old outhouses from a bygone lumber camp or something similar. A CCC camp Just tossin ideas.

Check those old topos...they do ID a lot.

Al

There is a ravine going down hill close by, but it is dry, I guess this could be an old out house.

 

[Produce Guy]

The 1st and 2nd pictures look like something you would see in a slasher film or something out of the X-Files.I wonder how deep is the cistern well is,I think I would get one of those 25lb. magnets and some rope and see what I could find.

 

[SkyPirate]

Just a guess-
Any evidence of charcoal or soot?
Possibly a cold smoker/smokehouse setup.

None

 

[SkyPirate]

The 1st and 2nd pictures look like something you would see in a slasher film or something out of the X-Files.I wonder how deep is the cistern well is,I think I would get one of those 25lb. magnets and some rope and see what I could find.

Wouldn't anything magnetic be rusted away by now?