Sunday june 28th

Thst sounds like a cool historical society. When I mapped out two privy holes from the Elgin founders' homesite for the local historical society, it drew a quiet "ho hum..."
 

I'm brand new here but wanted to say that I'm with the Byron Museum, and we're really excited about this weekend's dig (and cookout). My museum has done a number of outhouse digs in the past, and we have an entire exhibit with hundreds of bottles, plates, etc., from local outhouse pits, but this is the first dig I've ever done.

It's an important part of our history here because if we find the original pit, it would be one of the first pits in the town, probably dating to late 1830s. The site is also important because the house was a home on the underground railroad before the Civil War.

Anyway, I'll come back here and post my findings if anyone would find that interesting. We've already unearthed several hundred small and broken pieces of plates, pottery, etc.; a wrench, lots of animal bones, clamshells, and other stuff like that. We are hoping to get to the "bottom" this Sunday. All are welcome to come and watch, or take part in the dig.

Jessica
 

Jessica, I think I can speak for most on this site that we would be very interested in seeing what you find. Maybe even have someone video the dig and you can post it along with pics. It could even help in opening the eyes of other Historical Societies.

Good luck to you!

Makton
 

Hi Jessica! Welcome to T-Net and our little corner of it in Illinois!

Yes, Makton is right. I know I'd like to see the finds! A lot of us here are primarily coin and jewelry hunters, but we come across a lot of relics in the process. I know that a lot of relics found by members have been donated back to museums where there was an interest in the item. I find the little bits of history and lives from the past that we find really fascinating.

Good luck on the dig! :wink:
 

By all means let us in on the view from Byron, Jessica. I've md'ed there a few times, especially during that road work a few years ago. Found some coinage but nothing spectacularly old. Did note there was a trash pit or two being laid under by the road crews. Think it was down around Rt 2 and 2nd Street, at the SW edge of town.

And welcome on board.
 

be there or be square
How do the people at the B.H.S. feel about bringing a sifter table and detector?
 

Thanks for all your interest! I was so busy today digging that I didn't have much time to check emails. Here is a link to an album of pictures, which include some of the items we've taken out of our hole so far:

http://picasaweb.google.com/mcjessica/ByronMuseumOuthouseDig?feat=directlink

We're not actually a historical society - just a history museum. If anyone wants to come to lend a hand or just watch, you'd be most welcome! I have no experience with metal detectors, but if you want to bring one or a sifter table, that's great too - the more the merrier. I think though, that anything found on our property would need to stay as museum property. I meant to also take pictures of our existing outhouse exhibit. It's pretty neat.

Thanks again for your interest and I'll come back tomorrow to post our latest findings!

Jessica
 

:icon_thumleft:
 

Welcome....Love the pictures... Your going to have to make the whole wider after your done with that section.. Because curiosity
will prevail...and you will want to find more....

Looks like you will have a fun time.....

Keep us updated.....
 

I meant to include a link to our outhouse exhibit earlier. This exhibit was done several years ago by my predecessors, and ALL of the items in the exhibit were excavated from outhouse pits in our small town. It's one of our most popular exhibits and I always notice something new when I look at it. Now I have the pleasure of digging for the first time and am so excited to be uncovering the past as I explore!

http://picasaweb.google.com/mcjessica/OuthouseExhibit?feat=directlink
 

bump_signs.jpg
 

byronmuse said:
I meant to include a link to our outhouse exhibit earlier. This exhibit was done several years ago by my predecessors, and ALL of the items in the exhibit were excavated from outhouse pits in our small town. It's one of our most popular exhibits and I always notice something new when I look at it. Now I have the pleasure of digging for the first time and am so excited to be uncovering the past as I explore!

http://picasaweb.google.com/mcjessica/OuthouseExhibit?feat=directlink
Click to expand...

Wow! That's an impressive collection!! Next time I'm out that way, I'll have to look the museum up and take a tour. All of the fun looking at the finds and none of the work! ;D

Nice job! :thumbsup:
 

Well, whew!

We had a dig yesterday, all right.

First, here are some links for you to look at. Also, if anyone is in the Rockford area, Channel 23 News (WIFR) was out here today and will be airing a story about the dig on tonight's 5 and 6pm news. Adam Behrman got all decked out like Indiana Jones and it might be a little cheesy, but I think it'll be a good story.

Channel 13 News story from yesterday: http://www.wrex.com/Global/story.asp?S=10609265 (this one also has video; click the little tiny camera icon to view)

Channel 23 News story from yesterday: http://www.wifr.com/home/headlines/49393657.html

Pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/mcjessica/OuthouseDiggingSunday?feat=directlink

It was a LONG day, and we had a fairly steady trickle of folks all day, about 25 total if I had to guess. We had my husband get the concrete saw and take out more asphalt. We finally rented a backhoe for just a little while, just to take out the packed gravel from the new sections we'd opened up.

Randy found an intact bottle very close to the pump area. It says Dr. Jayne's Expectorant and looks like a pretty good bottle. Not as old as the other one, which was pre-1860 but broken. I found another clamshell button and a bunch of other random stuff. The guy using the metal detector found an Indian Head penny from 1883 in one of the piles of dirt we'd taken out.

We spent the last couple of hours trying to very gradually dig everything down. There's so much stuff at that top layer, but I think the actual privy may be near where Randy found the bottle, which is near where we think the pumphouse was.

I am about to head out again today to take the hole a little deeper. I will try to get some new pictures of all of our finds. There are so many, it's a little overwhelming!

Jessica
 

THANKS FOR THE INFO!
 

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