Outhouse hole?

[silversnacher]

I came across an indent in the woods and next to it is a slight mound, like somebody dug a hole and piled it up? Inside the indent the dirt is really loose and easy to move, I'm hoping its an outhouse but I'm not really getting signals on the detector I dug a little deeper in the indent and still no signals, how deep until you start hitting bottles or metal? (If it even is an outhouse) thanks! I can put photos up soon if they would help

 

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[Rugger]

I came across an outhouse hole while searching for a bank robber,s stach.To long of a story to write about.
When I say the indent and passed the coil and got a signal.Four feet down was a piece of roofing tin and was placed over a galvanized metal
container and appeared to be from the 1920. Obiously something was found but what ?
If you dont get a signal at three feet forget it. these out house can be 6ft down

 

[millerb91]

What rugger said I know people that dug 10 feet Down just to get a few things if you ask me it's a waist of time digging more then 4 feet with no signals just my .02

 

[wvwildman]

could be a rootwalled tree that fell over years ago to i find them all the time

 

[calisdad]

The serious bottle colectors I know use a stainless steel probe. It's a 1/2" rod of stainless about 4' long with a 'T' handle welded on the end. The really serious ones round the point so the don't injure the bottles. Could save you a lot of dig time.

good luck-

 

[silversnacher]

It's hard to tell in the photos but the mossy thing is a little hill which was next the indent, the photo of the indent is after I moved the leaves and started digging barely

 

[NOLA_Ken]

Is there a home site nearby? Or evidence of any other buildings that would justify having a privy? If not, then what you have is likely a hole caused by a blown over tree long ago. The mound would be the dirt that was caught in the roots which have rotted away.

 

[surf]

I came across an indent in the woods and next to it is a slight mound, like somebody dug a hole and piled it up? Inside the indent the dirt is really loose and easy to move, I'm hoping its an outhouse...

Hello silversnacher,

You didn't mention the proximity to a cellar hole, or other signs of human habitation. The old folks were not digging random comfort stations in the woods. Privies were meant to be used over a period of years, and were generally lined with wood, rock, or brick.

If you have a probe, probe it for sidewalls, and downward to see if the soil is disturbed for the next few feet. If you dig a 3-4 foot test hole and see no signs, I'd fill'er in.

Singing Probes

 

[BosnMate]

Out west in the woods the odds are it's where a tree fell and pulled up the root wad, but even if it fell a hundred years ago there is usually some evidence that's what happened, the other reason for seeing evidence of digging is prospect holes, especially in mineralized areas. Those old time prospectors didn't have metal detectors, they had metal in their backs and did some hard work looking for that yellow stuff.

 

[silversnacher]

I guess it's probably the tree thing, I dug the hole pretty deep with no luck, my thoughts were if it were an outhouse they might have moved it before it was full to the brim and put a couple feet of dirt on top to keep away the smell? I dunno

 

[Discrimination Dave]

Hello silversnacher,

You didn't mention the proximity to a cellar hole, or other signs of human habitation. The old folks were not digging random comfort stations in the woods. Privies were meant to be used over a period of years, and were generally lined with wood, rock, or brick.

If you have a probe, probe it for sidewalls, and downward to see if the soil is disturbed for the next few feet. If you dig a 3-4 foot test hole and see no signs, I'd fill'er in.

Singing Probes

Question,
why stainless? Im sure there must be a logical reason but why not a piece of rebar?

 

[surf]

why stainless? Im sure there must be a logical reason but why not a piece of rebar?

Not stainless. Definitely, not stainless. It will put an ugly mark on old glass. calisdad, I believe is mistaken. Spring steel is what most of the probe guys use. See the above "singing" link.

OLD WEST BOTTLES​