We dug bottles today!.......

[Mike from MI "Iron Brigade"]

Had this bottle dig planned for a long time. We were just waiting for the pro to come along and help us. Took of at 9am with flurries and a cold north wind chill in the 20's! We got to the first site and right away Scott says the Privies are under that black top parking lot!
So we found a possible spot in the yard only to find it was a dud hole! So we asked the neighbors and they said go ahead!
We ended up digging two more big holes and nothing but coal ash and rusty junk!
So I take them to one more place where I have detected several times and dug tons of goodies from that yard.
We picked our spot and was into glass right away! We dug tons of broken bottles, crocks, dinner ware etc.... But we also got a bunch of bottles! We also dug several items that were not bottles but they were keepers. We figured we were digging the old cistern and when they were done they filled it in with all their junk.

Here is Ron and Scott. Notice the pile of bottles on the tarp.
[attachment 87054 DSC00287.JPG]

Here we all are, happy diggers!
[attachment 87055 DSC00289.JPG]

Here they are hosed off! Minus 4 items not in the pic, I think we dug 80 keepers!
[attachment 87056 DSC00291.JPG]

The mark of a true digger!!! That is the stamp they give you at the bottle show!
[attachment 87057 DSC00286.JPG]

 

[Anonymous]

n/t

 

[Pete in MI]

n/t

 

[Mike Chgo area]

n/t

 

[Graw]

n/t

 

[seeker41]

i am dieing to do a bottle dig myself !!!!!!!!!!

 

[dobbie]

stupid question here. how do you know where to dig? i would like to start in the hobby but know nothing about it

 

[Mike from MI "Iron Brigade"]

There are several ways to go about it. At old sites, the privy was usually down wind, not too far from the house, look for a depression in the ground, look for flowers or Lilac bushes.
These are good spots to start probing. The probe will go in much easier that the rest of the yard. Listen for crunchy sounds, and if you hear a tink sound, that is glass! There are many more things, and I am not a pro yet, but those are some of the basics. Please ask all the questions you like. You can PM me if you like.

 

[Hotcz70]

n/t

 

[dobbie]

how far down do you usually have to dig before you start finding them? and whats a privy? told you i know nothing bout it. :blush:

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Lorraine, I don't know if your question has been answered, but a privy is an out house usually with a half-moon on the door! In other words an outside toilet! A person digs a good size hole for one, two or three seater and then they build a building over it large enough for as many seats or holes they have in it! We had one when I was growing up on the farm and it was hot in the summer and stinky and cold in the wintertime! We used the Sears Catalog pages for toilet paper....'twasn't tissue!

People either dropped things out of pockets into it by mistake or they used it for a trash disposal! They get filled up with dirt over the years after the building falls down and rots away and then you can dig where it is softer where the hole was than the other dirt around it and by digging a person can find some interest and even valuable things like China Doll heads and gold and silver coins! Never know what might be in them until you dig, just like you may likely don't know what is in the ground until ya dig!

Bottles are found in trash dumps where people used to dispose of their bottles and other junk.....remember, one man's junk is another man's treasure!

The main stuff you will find around an old homesite is metal.....There was always a tool shed for working on the old cars and farm machinery. Also zinc jar lids with or without glass inserts! Never know.....what the ground holds! It is a hot and tiresome job to do......so be prepared for hot, tiring work!

Hope this helps and I haven't told you anything that you don't already know!

There are places to learn on the Internet by going to google and searching for botle finds, treasures and so forth!
Interesting to see and read!

God Bless!
Betty

 

[dobbie]

that info was very hepful. but digging in someones old toilet? Is it safe to do ? I know of a few different spots of old farm houses I will check them out before i dig or detect thanks a bunch for the info.

 

[Anonymous]

should be okay! If you started digging and it starting smelling bad and then I wouldn't dig! I think there are very few that dig the outhouses or privies, mostly those who are younger than I am and are still strong......like Mike, me son, who shows people how to dig holes! Sorry, Mike, your relic hunts of digging deep holes makes me laugh! You are blessed to be young and have the stength to do that! So, do what you can now, for a person never knows how their health will be later on in life or what their body can do!

Most people, like my mother and my brother, Larry, while he was home, hunted the trash dumps that they could find and poked through them. Mom found a brown whiskey bottle one time that has White Horse on it! Don't know how old it is or if it is worth anything, but just to have it because of mom is a blessing to me!

My friend, Liz, hunted with a friend and dug for bottles along the river and in old places and found the old blue and green bottles! Some are from downtown St. Louis, when they were digging and building I-55! Lots of the homes in South St. L. had outhouses and ashpits! Her collection of bottles of various colors are really pretty!

I guess the more hardy and younger lads and lassies can handle doing this, but not me.....not anymore anyway!

God Bless!
Betty

 

[dobbie]

thank you once again for the info on this. when i have time i will go and see what i find

 

[treasurefiend]

Man, I would love to go on a bottle dig

 

[Magyar]

Very interesting post, Mike. the assortment of colored bottles is amazing to me!
great hunting!!

 

[Anonymous]

Sorry dobbie that I called you Lorraine.....Will have to pay more attention to who's post it is! :blush: Your welcome and hope you find something worth finding and digging!
Just never know what someone has lost or thrown away! Seems as though I make a lot of errors lately......Couldn't be because of old age do you think????

God Bless!
Betty