Need Opinions PLEASE !!

[Gare]

About a Month or so AGO. i found a place where an old school used to be (Maffett) Near Carrollton Ohio . I got permission to detect it from a Pilot friend of mine. Fist time there I found a shield nickle and it got dark so i did not spend much time there. The weather has been changing a lot lately but yesterday I decided to go back there and give it another try. While there I noticed these two brick pits. They were about 50 feet apart The size of each pit was maybe 3 ft x 5 ft rectangle. My thinking is probably Out House types ? I ran my coil over the top of them and go no signal I found this school had been there on my 1900 Map . Due to the structures make up I think the bricks were put in long after the school was put in . Back then would they have a Boys and Girls outhouses or just 2 for the amount of people using it.. Between the road and these bricks i found a couple places that had some nails and screws . The only decent find i made yesterday was a busted old shotgun head case Your ideas are WELCOMED !!

 

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[Blackfoot58]

About a Month or so AGO. i found a place where an old school used to be (Maffett) Near Carrollton Ohio . I got permission to detect it from a Pilot friend of mine. Fist time there I found a shield nickle and it got dark so i did not spend much time there. The weather has been changing a lot lately but yesterday I decided to go back there and give it another try. While there I noticed these two brick pits. They were about 50 feet apart The size of each pit was maybe 3 ft x 5 ft rectangle. My thinking is probably Out House types ? I ran my coil over the top of them and go no signal I found this school had been there on my 1900 Map . Due to the structures make up I think the bricks were put in long after the school was put in . Back then would they have a Boys and Girls outhouses or just 2 for the amount of people using it.. Between the road and these bricks i found a couple places that had some nails and screws . The only decent find i made yesterday was a busted old shotgun head case Your ideas are WELCOMED !!




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Interesting, for sure. A couple of ideas: people were known to make underground winter storage for, potatoes, squash etc. Some were large root cellars, while some were smaller, often brick and sealed with a cover to keep out rain, mice etc. I imagine they have been filled in. If so, hard to tell original depth. If they were lined, I’d wonder about a cistern or well, although most I’ve seen were circular. I’m not familiar with outhouse foundations. The ones I remember were sitting on earth, over a pit. It made it easy to move the “house” when pit got too full. You took dirt from the new hole and backfilled the old pit. I’d think the bricks would have been an unnecessary extra cost. Again, basing this on the ones in Iowa in the early 60’s.

 

[Gare]

This is why i ask for ideas
Thank you

 

[metrotec]

If it was a privy you can take a rod, ( re-bar) and try pushing it down. Usually if it was a privy it will be easily pushed into the dirt to a depth of a few feet.
I agree with Blackfoot 58 about moving over another hole.
We have an "outhouse" for people when we have a cookout/party. Keeps them outta the house. It's just a hole in the ground, fancy building on the hole, with a bucket of lime, a cup, and t-paper inside.

 

[Gare]

If it was a privy you can take a rod, ( re-bar) and try pushing it down. Usually if it was a privy it will be easily pushed into the dirt to a depth of a few feet.
I agree with Blackfoot 58 about moving over another hole.
We have an "outhouse" for people when we have a cookout/party. Keeps them outta the house. It's just a hole in the ground, fancy building on the hole, with a bucket of lime, a cup, and t-paper inside.

Well i thought of this but on the other hand maybe it was just the holding pit and a 2 hole fram could have been built over it. has anyone ever seen a side by side outhouse ?
Maybe this isn't even a outhouse . I have no other ideas

 

[Blackfoot58]

Well i thought of this but on the other hand maybe it was just the holding pit and a 2 hole fram could have been built over it. has anyone ever seen a side by side outhouse ?
Maybe this isn't even a outhouse . I have no other ideas

I remember a couple that were attached side-to-side. One was a farm family with 8 kids plus the parents. Must not have wanted long lines especially on cold days!

 

[Mud Hut]

How deep are they? Any signs of fire marks on the brick?

 

[Emil W]

Being rectangular, they shouldn't be too deep. Wells, since they generally need to be deep, are round to evenly distribute the pressure of the surrounding dirt, keeping them from collapsing. Inward force on the bricks keeps them stable.

 

[Blackfoot58]

Being rectangular, they shouldn't be too deep. Wells, since they generally need to be deep, are round to evenly distribute the pressure of the surrounding dirt, keeping them from collapsing. Inward force on the bricks keeps them stable.

I’d guess these go a little below the frost line, maybe 5 feet total below the surface, if for food storage.

 

[DanMcG]

Did you notice any stamp marks in the bricks? They look to be a high quality brick with that coved edge.
Not a outhouse, but maybe root storage. Odd that the top isnt capped with anything , even mortar.

 

[unclemac]

Interesting, for sure. A couple of ideas: people were known to make underground winter storage for, potatoes, squash etc. Some were large root cellars, while some were smaller, often brick and sealed with a cover to keep out rain, mice etc. I imagine they have been filled in. If so, hard to tell original depth. If they were lined, I’d wonder about a cistern or well, although most I’ve seen were circular. I’m not familiar with outhouse foundations. The ones I remember were sitting on earth, over a pit. It made it easy to move the “house” when pit got too full. You took dirt from the new hole and backfilled the old pit. I’d think the bricks would have been an unnecessary extra cost. Again, basing this on the ones in Iowa in the early 60’s.

or the opposite too. The old farms used to have places to keep things cool in the summer, especially milk.

 

[Gare]

Did you notice any stamp marks in the bricks? They look to be a high quality brick with that coved edge.
Not a outhouse, but maybe root storage. Odd that the top isnt capped with anything , even mortar.

No i did not but I did not look close at the bricks !! i will next time there thanks for the hint

 

[DanMcG]

Any chance there is open water nearby? could these be dugout waterfowl blinds? The trees aren't that old, it could have been a wide open field 50-70 years ago. But without a body of water this idea ain't it.

You do come up with some great mysteries Gare.