Need help with privy!

[Bumpa66]

I have 4 cellar holes out in the woods that I have recently found. I have been searching these locations for the privy's. I finally found what I believe to be a privy at one of the locations. It is circular and rock lined. The rock wall started about 2 feet down. Is that normal? The problem is that it is only about 24 inches round. I dug down 2 feet before I reached the rock wall, and I dug another 3 feet down inside the rock wall. It is so narrow that I can't bend over to get to the bottom because its too narrow. The only option I have is to use a post hole digger. Any suggestions on how I should dig the remainder of this hole? The post hole digger will only go so far. Is it an option to dig down next to it, and dismantle the wall? Is it common for a privy to be circular and 2 feet wide? I can't imagine how they got down in there to construct this thing. So far I have found pieces of glass, plates, and one small bottle. Any help would be appreciated on this site.

Another one of the sites, I had thought I found the privy, but I cannot find the walls. My probe sunk down easier than the rest of the soil surrounding. I have dug a 3 x 4 ft area and 3 ft down. I have probed around to find some walls, but to no evail. I have found a lot of coal, and some fragments of plates and a little glass. It seems like a tree has grown right in the center of this depression, which is getting in the way of some serious digging. But I can't find any walls. How far down do the walls normally start? Could this just be an ash pit? Or maybe a privy? It is located about 40 ft from the cellar hole. Any advice on this site is appreciated too.

Even with a probe, these privy's are not easy to find.

 

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[Bumpa66]

Here is a pic of the 2 foot circular rock lined hole. It's hard to tell from the picture, but it was the best I could do. The other pics are surface finds from this site. I don't think they are very old, but I picked them up to check on the age of the bottles. Can anyone tell the age?

 

[G.A.P.metal]

I never saw a circular privy hole might be the well Good luck.
Gary

 

[surf]

Hello Bumpa,

2 foot diameter, huh? Could it be a cistern? I can't tell anything from the dark photo. are you feeling sidewalls going down straight? I'd take out a couple feet of rocks, keep probing, and if it didn't widen out, I'd call it on account of narrowness.

I dug half a narrow brick well, and got so sick of tossing up bricks, I just gave up & filled her in.

Your glass looks all AMB. The whiskies are post prohibition.

Keep digging.

19th Century Bottle Diggers​

 

[bravowhiskey]

Man I wish I had the back I had when I was only 20. That there is some kinda' work.

Seriously, don't know what part of the country you are from, but in Iowa they most often planted lilac bushes right next to same.

Good luck

 

[jgas]

Hey Buddy, keep digging down more. Not sure what part of the country you are from but here in the midwest the average amount of privies that actually are brick lined are about 1 for every 300 pits you dig. Not as many as we would like thats for sure. The 2 footer you are digging is mots likely a well or cistern. The other one that has the softer ground and the tree growing in it is much more promising. Even if its an ash pit there may be a layer of glass down below. Some of my better finds are from ash pits. Now with that said if it is an ash pit then the actual privy won't be too far away. Say a few feet away. If you are finding remnants of glass and humanity in any hole, I would keep going. Heck there could be a perfect condition Race and Sheldon Magic Shoe Polish bottle down there. And you don't want to miss out on that! jgas

 

[surf]

Amen, to that!

 

[wvwildman]

sounds like a well to me happy hunting

 

[sunrunner]

hi, first,if your in the woods,id say first look for a dump.any low airea to the make or side of your fountions,then id dig in the inside of the fountions,people use the to dump in all the time.two feet is to small for an out house.