OUTHOUSE DIG

[DukeOBass]

It was a beautiful day today so I decided I go do some metal detecting. I've been trying to catch up with a gentleman to ask permission to detect in a lot next to his house where they had torn an house down several years ago. Anyway... he happened to be out by the street talking with someone when I was going by so I pulled over, asked and gained his permission to detect. He walked over with me as I asked him where the property lines were. As we talked, he questioned whether or not I dug outhouses. I told him that I hadn't in quite a while. He proceeded to show me an old slate walkway that was depressed into the ground by about 4 inches as nature was reclaiming over the top of it and began to describe the vicinity in which the outhouse foundation might be. When I asked the age he said anywhere from 1860 to the turn of the century.

So, my question is, when outhouses were filled did they generally dig a pit right next to the old one or would it be in an entirely different spot? I can see a depression about 20 to the right of the walkway and he seems to recall that there was one in that area when he came to town in 1938. I wonder if the old one could be at the end of the walkway? I'm going to do some probing tomorrow, weather permitting.

 

[Mr Seitz]

Yeah Duke most of the time they dug the new pits next to the last pit.The last ones we dug were 6 feet apart and there was 3 of them.So i would probe around the end of that sidewalk.

 

[DukeOBass]

n/t

 

[DukeOBass]

[attachment 109560 OpeningtheHole.jpg]

[attachment 109561 InforFun.jpg]

[attachment 109562 FirstGoodSign.jpg]

[attachment 109563 Closeup.jpg]

I thought we were in the right spot for an outhouse. My 4 foot probe sunk to the handle. We were digging glass. and the we hit shale at only hip deep.
Later as we cleaned up the property owner's wife said, "Oh, he does remember where the outhouse was. It was up here. Not down there.

I probed a bit but didn't hit a spot that felt as good as this one did. I may need expert assistance to train me on this first dig.

 

[Mr Seitz]

How deep did you dig? When you get water early,it hides what you might have seen if it were dry.Did you stop digging?

 

[DukeOBass]

Yes, I stopped digging because I hit shale. The woman of the house came out later and told me that the outhouse was in different spot, that her husband had forgotten there had been a shed where I was digging. I probed were she said the outhouse had been but it felt like a lot of hard ash. The probe didn't sink right in.

 

[nightrider]

I've dug a couple of outhouses in my life time and have used then in my childhood. I find that they are going to be downhill, downwind and in the general area of the first one. Think about it. The outhouse will be an easy access usually by the back door or corner of the shack or house (20 to 30 feet. Generally there will not be any large trees around the area due to digging thru root systems. Most O.H. were built on skids for easy moving so look for the flat area's around old foundations. Like DukeOBass, Probing with a rod works well during the wet season but when in dry season be careful as to not break bottles when in contact. Vibration contact is easier to feel in wet ground. If a creek is nearby you might want to check for the O.H. further away due to tainting of water source. (Shit always runs downhill as the quote goes). I noticed that the water table was pretty close to the surface so with this fact I would have looked for higher ground. Remember that when it rains the table comes up and the old timers new this so they would have found an area with more drainage specially with the shale bedrock. Remember always check your dirt with your metal detector because even today if you dropped a coin in a port a potty I'm thinking you would leave it! Most bottles I find in a O.H. are whiskey type or mason type. This is because the best place to hide your drinking is away from prying and accusing eyes. And the best place to dispose of your habit/ trash is down the hole. I've noticed that some of the holes that I've dug up contain tin cans and metal. If I hit these in quantity then I know the hole is an early one due to disposable items (around 1935 and up) But if you find a clean hole with just bottles and glass then you know its pre 1930's. Back then most all containers were made mostly of glass or ceramic and were reused. (except those hidden whiskey bottles!) If the O.H. is still standing, be sure to look under the seat area, for what better place to hide or hang your pokes of coins or collectibles. I remember when my grandfather dug out new holes for the O.H. he used to fill the old one in with general farm garbage like deer carcasses, cow bones, and sawdust or wood chips.

I will be digging up some of these holes this winter and will take pictures of my progress to post.

NIGHTRIDER
yoreplacermine.com