HutSiteDigger
Silver Member
- Nov 26, 2012
- 2,849
- 1,283
- Detector(s) used
- Fisher 1266x and a shovel
- Primary Interest:
- All Treasure Hunting
Another member on here posted about hunting around a cellar hole and finding some artifacts and broken pottery,etc, but i guess could not understand why he was not finding any artifacts in the dip or hole that you can sometimes see when hunting in the woods or something. After digging a few good cellar holes out in the past, and having the opportunity of helping one of my very good friends who is one of the best relic hunters and owns a Civil War relic shop just outside of Fredericksburg,Virginia and is credited in many artifact books (mainly of Civil War) and is well known by people like CannonBallGuy (Who CBG is also credited in lot of artifact books) dig a bunch of good cellar holes out and having been around while he is doing so (mainly being the one who is digging) I will try and give some tips on digging them out and also if you have any please say something because every little hint/detail counts!
Here was what I said:
I will give you some insight on IMO stuff about this cellar hole you found and may understand what I am saying or not, and I do not have photos of what you think is a cellar hole but digging a bunch of cellar holes myself here is alittle info..
You have too think that when that cellar/trash pit was there over 170+ years ALOT has happened during that time. The area it was in the earth has changed x100, people over that many years could have done who knows what with that area post time period of when that cellar hole/trash pit was there. They could have pushed a bunch of dirt in the main spot of cellar, and then the cellar hole type layout you are seeing is just the start. Just because you see a big dip in the ground or large hole that indicates it could have been a cellar/trash pit and you start digging into it, chances are you are not actually digging in the exact exact spot! of the cellar hole/trash pit! It could be 5-10 feet to the right or left or could even be 5-10 feet down of the dip or hole you see. Deep Deep down.
There is GOT too be artifacts around the cellar hole if it is virgin ground (unless most of the artifacts were taken or it was cleaned up post cellar hole time period), more then likely the people back 170+ years ago lived in that spot for a good amount of time and used that cellar hole daily.
A good cellar hole is going too have LOADS of broken pottery and glass in it and also oyster shells!!! and you will see small amounts of deterioration of brick or hit into stone, THEN you know you are very close too the good pocket and mainly you will dig up a bunch of nails/iron ALL in the same SMALL AREA and then once you dig the iron/nails out, you start digging deeper and deeper and you will hit more iron/nails, then you just keep on digging and digging around it deep and deep (EVEN if you DO NOT get any signals) you just keep digging and digging that area out and follow the broken pottery/glass or ash (lot of people what do I mean by ash? it is just something you have too see and learn from experience anyone that has dug hut-sites/trash pits/cellar holes,etc will know about the ash I am talking about)..
The bottles and good stuff are always deep in the ground mainly 3-5 feet deep and all within the same small area like the size of a bathroom and it can range from 20 too 1,000+ artifacts all in that same small area ranging from intact bottles,buttons,buckles,coins,intact pottery,gold artifacts,pipe steams or intact pipes, the list can go on and on!
Then again 70% of your average relic hunter will not try and dig a area out like that and property owners need to be notified,etc they may allow for metal detecting but most will not allow you to dig a big hole kinda like archaeology style but some will if you are professional about it,etc.
So I would say you are close too a good good find in that area you are hunting. I bet there are coins/buckle or two and intact bottles around that area and also maybe even intact pottery but they are going too be very deep, deeper than any metal detector is going to go and normally all the good stuff are all within the small small area like about the size of a bathroom or something.. Good luck!
The picture is of a cellar hole you see. Now you would think you just start getting in there and digging it out in the middle of that hole that all the goodies are going too be there! then you find out you are digging basically nothing. Chances are the good pocket of relics could be 5-10 feet away from this hole about as deep as the hole in the picture is.
So just a-little info if anyone is "trying" too dig one out! IT DOES not happen in 1 day. You could spend 3-4 days (4-5 hours) and then on the last day you are gonna call quits hit the good pocket of relics. It helps if you do have a backhoe too fill the dirt back in and also too dig down gently but IF you use a back-hoe and start seeing lot of broken pottery/glass stop a.s.a.p and dig with shovels!!!! if you do not you will ruin all the intact bottles and pottery. Good luck.
Here was what I said:
I will give you some insight on IMO stuff about this cellar hole you found and may understand what I am saying or not, and I do not have photos of what you think is a cellar hole but digging a bunch of cellar holes myself here is alittle info..
You have too think that when that cellar/trash pit was there over 170+ years ALOT has happened during that time. The area it was in the earth has changed x100, people over that many years could have done who knows what with that area post time period of when that cellar hole/trash pit was there. They could have pushed a bunch of dirt in the main spot of cellar, and then the cellar hole type layout you are seeing is just the start. Just because you see a big dip in the ground or large hole that indicates it could have been a cellar/trash pit and you start digging into it, chances are you are not actually digging in the exact exact spot! of the cellar hole/trash pit! It could be 5-10 feet to the right or left or could even be 5-10 feet down of the dip or hole you see. Deep Deep down.
There is GOT too be artifacts around the cellar hole if it is virgin ground (unless most of the artifacts were taken or it was cleaned up post cellar hole time period), more then likely the people back 170+ years ago lived in that spot for a good amount of time and used that cellar hole daily.
A good cellar hole is going too have LOADS of broken pottery and glass in it and also oyster shells!!! and you will see small amounts of deterioration of brick or hit into stone, THEN you know you are very close too the good pocket and mainly you will dig up a bunch of nails/iron ALL in the same SMALL AREA and then once you dig the iron/nails out, you start digging deeper and deeper and you will hit more iron/nails, then you just keep on digging and digging around it deep and deep (EVEN if you DO NOT get any signals) you just keep digging and digging that area out and follow the broken pottery/glass or ash (lot of people what do I mean by ash? it is just something you have too see and learn from experience anyone that has dug hut-sites/trash pits/cellar holes,etc will know about the ash I am talking about)..
The bottles and good stuff are always deep in the ground mainly 3-5 feet deep and all within the same small area like the size of a bathroom and it can range from 20 too 1,000+ artifacts all in that same small area ranging from intact bottles,buttons,buckles,coins,intact pottery,gold artifacts,pipe steams or intact pipes, the list can go on and on!
Then again 70% of your average relic hunter will not try and dig a area out like that and property owners need to be notified,etc they may allow for metal detecting but most will not allow you to dig a big hole kinda like archaeology style but some will if you are professional about it,etc.
So I would say you are close too a good good find in that area you are hunting. I bet there are coins/buckle or two and intact bottles around that area and also maybe even intact pottery but they are going too be very deep, deeper than any metal detector is going to go and normally all the good stuff are all within the small small area like about the size of a bathroom or something.. Good luck!
The picture is of a cellar hole you see. Now you would think you just start getting in there and digging it out in the middle of that hole that all the goodies are going too be there! then you find out you are digging basically nothing. Chances are the good pocket of relics could be 5-10 feet away from this hole about as deep as the hole in the picture is.
So just a-little info if anyone is "trying" too dig one out! IT DOES not happen in 1 day. You could spend 3-4 days (4-5 hours) and then on the last day you are gonna call quits hit the good pocket of relics. It helps if you do have a backhoe too fill the dirt back in and also too dig down gently but IF you use a back-hoe and start seeing lot of broken pottery/glass stop a.s.a.p and dig with shovels!!!! if you do not you will ruin all the intact bottles and pottery. Good luck.
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