jgas
Silver Member
- Apr 23, 2008
- 3,805
- 2,497
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- 1
- Detector(s) used
- DFX, Pro 6000XL, SunRay Probe, Centech Pinpointer
So it took a bit of convincing Don to go out and try another Pit. We both kinda thought the last dig was the last of the season...But the weather has held out and we decided to give it a try. I begged, pleaded, shoved, yelled and finally coaxed Don into going out and braving the cold just one last time 
I was doing research on the old 1893 Sanborn map and measured out where I thought a privy might have been located. The property in question has a huge brick building on it that was built in 1925. There were 3 other homes there previously that are shown on the map. So I commenced to search the area with the probes. After about what seemed to be like 300 pokes in the ground and not finding anything I looked at the map again. Looking at the telephone poles in the area and the ones that appeared older I looked down the stretch of lines that extended across the street. These poles made a perfect line as to where an alley once was through the homes and south through the neighborhood. One pole stands at an area where a new sidewalk and wall for the brick building now stands. A stretch of grass about 5 feet by 30 feet is all I had left to poke with the probes. I figured the privies would start at around 20 feet from the back of where one of the homes once stood. Right next to the telephone pole between the sidewalk/driveway and brick wall I hit what I had been probing for
On my 301st poke A nice layered soft area with obvious bricks and glass down below. 
Game on now...So we bagan or dig and within a couple feet I found the base to a blob beer. A good sign to start, then there was the small layer of coal ash that turned into wood ash which usually means an older pit.
So down we went and our first finds were some medicines and a Horseradish bottle from Saginaw Michigan, L M Lyon Markey Gardener. Cool find.
Then it was Don's turn and he unearthed a nice GiltEdge Polish bottle. Really ornate( I think my wife likes that one). Then we started hitting some embossed medicines that we had never seen before. A Geo. B. Cochran Apothecary from Hudson Mass, a Carpenter and Barrell from Albion NY, a J. Dawson and son Druggist from Rochester Indiana and some marbles and buttons at the bottom of the pit. Then in the last corner among the seed layer was a nice quart amber blob beer from W & E Muessel Brewing in South Bend. The find of the day so far. After that we were anxious to probe to the sides in hopes of another pit close by.
Don found the next pit about 6 feet away in the same line near the pole. This too had gray wood ash all the way with a nice cap layer of sand
Started out with some ale bottles, and a nice bitterquelle. Then it was back to drug bottles. First was a FH Bascom Druggist from Montpelier VT, then a Crumbs Carbolated Chloride of iodine out of Buffalo NY then a HFA Pinckney out of London of all places 
That last bottle guided us towards the next find which was a stoneware ink from Denby London area in perfect shape. First one ever we found in one piece. Still has fingerprints pressed into the clay. Right next to that was maybe the find of the day now!
A nice stoneware beer/ ale/ soda embossed withe W.H.H. and a trademark blue ink cross at the top. I hope that this is a William H Hutchinson stoneware bottle. He is the father of the person who invented the Hutchinson stopper. Maybe someone can chime in on this one but I think this is what it is. Not sure how rare they are but I have my fingers crossed
Then it was Don's turn again. He was having a little luck here and there towards the end of the pit but most of the things were shattered. Then he pulls out the last find of the day....WOOOHOOO A Beautiful Pontiled Cathedral Peppersauce. This baby has great bubbles and looks to be in perfect shape. Just the crudeness of it is great. So Now I think he found the find of the day!!
A day of firsts had me saying Never say Never Again...if the weather holds out we will be back to go at it again. Maybe there is just one more pit there...Just Maybe!!! Be careful out there and enjoy the holidays.
jgas
I was doing research on the old 1893 Sanborn map and measured out where I thought a privy might have been located. The property in question has a huge brick building on it that was built in 1925. There were 3 other homes there previously that are shown on the map. So I commenced to search the area with the probes. After about what seemed to be like 300 pokes in the ground and not finding anything I looked at the map again. Looking at the telephone poles in the area and the ones that appeared older I looked down the stretch of lines that extended across the street. These poles made a perfect line as to where an alley once was through the homes and south through the neighborhood. One pole stands at an area where a new sidewalk and wall for the brick building now stands. A stretch of grass about 5 feet by 30 feet is all I had left to poke with the probes. I figured the privies would start at around 20 feet from the back of where one of the homes once stood. Right next to the telephone pole between the sidewalk/driveway and brick wall I hit what I had been probing for
On my 301st poke A nice layered soft area with obvious bricks and glass down below. Game on now...So we bagan or dig and within a couple feet I found the base to a blob beer. A good sign to start, then there was the small layer of coal ash that turned into wood ash which usually means an older pit.
So down we went and our first finds were some medicines and a Horseradish bottle from Saginaw Michigan, L M Lyon Markey Gardener. Cool find.Then it was Don's turn and he unearthed a nice GiltEdge Polish bottle. Really ornate( I think my wife likes that one). Then we started hitting some embossed medicines that we had never seen before. A Geo. B. Cochran Apothecary from Hudson Mass, a Carpenter and Barrell from Albion NY, a J. Dawson and son Druggist from Rochester Indiana and some marbles and buttons at the bottom of the pit. Then in the last corner among the seed layer was a nice quart amber blob beer from W & E Muessel Brewing in South Bend. The find of the day so far. After that we were anxious to probe to the sides in hopes of another pit close by.
Don found the next pit about 6 feet away in the same line near the pole. This too had gray wood ash all the way with a nice cap layer of sand
Started out with some ale bottles, and a nice bitterquelle. Then it was back to drug bottles. First was a FH Bascom Druggist from Montpelier VT, then a Crumbs Carbolated Chloride of iodine out of Buffalo NY then a HFA Pinckney out of London of all places That last bottle guided us towards the next find which was a stoneware ink from Denby London area in perfect shape. First one ever we found in one piece. Still has fingerprints pressed into the clay. Right next to that was maybe the find of the day now!
A nice stoneware beer/ ale/ soda embossed withe W.H.H. and a trademark blue ink cross at the top. I hope that this is a William H Hutchinson stoneware bottle. He is the father of the person who invented the Hutchinson stopper. Maybe someone can chime in on this one but I think this is what it is. Not sure how rare they are but I have my fingers crossed
Then it was Don's turn again. He was having a little luck here and there towards the end of the pit but most of the things were shattered. Then he pulls out the last find of the day....WOOOHOOO A Beautiful Pontiled Cathedral Peppersauce. This baby has great bubbles and looks to be in perfect shape. Just the crudeness of it is great. So Now I think he found the find of the day!!
A day of firsts had me saying Never say Never Again...if the weather holds out we will be back to go at it again. Maybe there is just one more pit there...Just Maybe!!! Be careful out there and enjoy the holidays.
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