Lots of Bottles and stuff--Junk?

[herphandler]

Hey i am new to this forum and new to "bottle collecting". i was in my creek and i found some bottles in the creek and thats when i started really looking for more bottles. i probably have close to 80 bottles that i have been finding in and around the creek. along with other odd items. is this stuff all junk? i can take more pictures if you need me to.

 

[herphandler]

just some more pictures.

 

[herphandler]

oh btw, I'm in western PA.

 

[Mr Seitz]

Well... like the old saying goes "To each his own" I am only saying this because you asked.yep thats all junk.
some people like (what ever) they find, but that stuff is real new.like I said it may not be new to some,but to me it is.There may be a older area around the dump your at.Good luck I'm sure you will find older stuff as you go along. Rick

Ps When you find 80 bottles in a dump its a sign it is a newer one.

 

[herphandler]

alrighty

 

[herphandler]

Some more bottles I dug up this week. Haven't cleaned them up yet.

Any thoughts? wrth cleaning up good?

Anything look like it's got any potential value.

I was digging up a lot of broken bottles, and what I think were really heavy duty garbage bags. down beside a small creek. think anything of value would be thrown out when they used garbage bags?

Thanks!

 

[herphandler]

any advice on how to find the old privy around our 150+ year old house?

 

[coinnut]

Look over the back yard as a starting point. I believe they are usually out back. You wouldn't want your bathroom in your front yard would you? It should be close enough to the house so that it doesn't take you long to get to it (especially in the winter). But it shouldn't be so close as to stink during the summer. It also has to drain away from the house and from your well (drinking water source). So try about 15 - 30 ft from the back of the house. Look for a slight depression approximately 4 ft square. Since you don't have a probe, find a thin long rod or something slender that is strong. Push it into the ground a couple of places where you think the privy is. It really needs to be at least 3 feet, but less might do. If it slides into the ground all the way down, you may be on the privy. If after a bunch of tries, you can't sink it all the way down, then it's probably not the spot you are looking for. A house that old may have a couple of them, sometimes side by side. Look for that sunken pattern. You can also try Sanbourn Maps, that may have the later privy's on them. Locate where you think it is and do some digging. Talk with some of the other guys on this site to see what you would expect to find early on in the dig. Sometimes it is boring for a couple of feet, but then pay dirt. Be careful not to cut yourself and slow way down if you see any glass, as not to break any whole bottles. I'm sure someone else has some good advice. But if you are going to look for them buy or build yourself a good probe. Good luck and tell us how you do.

 

[Mr Seitz]

All that Con said in good advise, but there are a few things I would change and that is get a 5 foot probe made (welded) with a ball bering tip just a hair larger then diameter of the rod,that should be wielded on the end of the rod.Also you need a 6 inch piece of hollow pipe for the handle.If you know someone who welds or is into mechanics that would be your best bet.The probe has to be at least 5 foot to get down into the (ashy fill) and the ball on the end of the probe brings up what is in the privy,be it ash or what ever fill they used when they filled it in,if you get (solid clay) its not a pit.As to the sunken spots in any given yard,sometimes there is no sinking spots,we have gotten yards where we just had to probe the property lines to find pits with out seeing any signs of sinking.The reason this is,is because over the years the people after them and after them kept filling in the sink spot,most times people just give up and there is a slight sink,(but not always) Rule # 1 in privy digging,there are no rules.

 

[herphandler]

Alright thanks a lot for all the advice! I will let you guys know if i think i find the privy. the only problem is..i dont know how i can convince my mom to dig a hole in her nice yard :/

 

[coinnut]

You are on your own on that one. Good luck. Hopefully she will let you do it. Put your dirt on tarps or better yet in barrels like some of the guys here do. Keep us posted.

 

[herphandler]

haha. i havent started to look for the privy yet but i found some more bottles in the dump site i have been digging in by the creek. here are some pics.
I have a question. i am going to just try using a metal rod and push it into the ground. how thin should the rod be? and how hard should i push it down? should i use a sledge hammer to pound it in?

still junk?

 

[Ted bottle guy]

It's still junk bottle but i learn something some of the bottle in the twenty's or forties are worth some good money!! I will have check back at this dump i found and left some rose glass bottle's made the hawk and anchor company the used real gold to tint the bottle's red hummm!!!

 

[herphandler]

Ok thanks

 

[herphandler]

Hey I just dug a hole in our garden just to see if i might get lucky and hit an old dump or something.
here are some pictures of the hole. theres some weird black small rocks in the bottom with water. but it was a dry day, so i dont know why it's so wet. think i should dig deeper or not? the hole is about 2 1/2'-3' deep

 

[Mr Seitz]

Yeah but Ted is right even a 30s dump might have something good in it,but you wont see me digging for my life in that sick white ash to find it hahaha as to that wet hole in your yard,if you haven't found any sign of glass or junk from the past yet I would full that baby in,maybe you hit a water pipe? pop! lol I give you credit kid, you keep going.Sooner or latter you will find a good one,thats the way its done Rick

 

[herphandler]

great time to start another back breaking hole lol. well im gonna go fill it in like you said and try digging another hole in the garden (because thats the only place im aloud to dig )

 

[herphandler]

Well i dug another hole in the garden about 20 or 30 feet away from the other hole i dug and yet again theres those weird little rocks... lol

 

[herphandler]

I just went out side to fill in the hole i dug when i noticed this piece of glass laying on the pile of dirt I dug out of the hole.
my mom said every year when shes in the garden she finds lots of different pieces of broken glass.

 

[herphandler]

Iv been digging more and still havent found anything whole not to mention any broken glass except another piece of 7up almost identical to the one above.