antique bottles DIGGING IN THE 'HEIGHTS' privy digging

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If you're lucky enough to be a privy digger, then you know older is better. Whether you're probing for trash pits in the country, or digging “monster” holes in many of America’s older cities; the hope is, you’ll eventually get behind an old farmhouse or dig pontil bottles out of an 1840s Greek Revival outhouse pit.

The house located at #98 Pierrepont Street that was dug. Actually my original request was for the house on the right. As we later found out that the house dated from the early 1870's and didn't have a pit anywhere in the yard.

Well, since we hadn’t dug anything or stepped foot in Brooklyn in nearly four months the news of a long awaited permission in Brooklyn’s oldest neighborhood -- Brooklyn Heights -- came as a welcome surprise.
After the unusually long lay-off, Richie, Jack and I were fired up, and ready to start the fall off right. Our latest permission was the result of our last time in trying to line something up. Seeing how we all had busy summers planned we agreed that if we found something it would have to wait till the fall to be dug.

So, armed with a few probes, a bottle or two, and some digging pictures off we went looking for some digging leads and a sympathetic ear. Well, that was back in early May, the weather was getting nicer by the day and the “heights” was alive with people trying too shake off the long winter months. With nice weather, as you might expect, there’s all types of people engaged in all sorts of outdoors activities. From block to block, and across busy avenues, there were shoppers, people washing cars, sweeping sidewalks, and just hanging out talking with neighbors and the occasional passer-by.

That's Richie and Jack taking a five minute break holding up the three Drakes Plantation Bitters that came out pretty early in the dig. There were at least two more in a nice puce color that were broken.

Wait, did I say passer-by?, That’s where we come in! After the three of us got separated, which sometimes happens, I decided to go past an old brownstone that I had been watching for several years. Although there was nothing happening in front of the building there were several people out front of the adjacent building having a sidewalk sale. After a quick browse over the goods I introduced myself, and inquired about the vacant house next door. The guy’s name is Eddie, and he was pretty informative about the property in question. It seems the house had been bricked up for years, and was finally in the process of being renovated. After a few minutes I asked if I could go through his house to take a peek in the yard next door.
“I guess that would be OK, besides there is a cistern in my backyard I’d like you to see,” he replied. Once in the yard I saw what he was talking about --- an open, hollow cistern with no top cover! “I’d sure like to get it filled in or covered,” Eddie went on to say. “Maybe we can help you out, how about a big bluestone slab over the top to seal her off, and letting us dig your privy." I suggested. Again, Eddie was more than accommodating, and agreed to the idea.
Once I returned with the guys we explained that the cistern would be no problem, that we’d cover it over after the pit was dug. We scheduled the dig for around Labor Day that way we all could enjoy the summer, and look forward to digging again towards the fall.
Well, the second week of September finally arrived, and with it a definite date for our permission. Although the weather was still hot and humid you’d be hard pressed to find a more eager bunch of guys. We had an “in” at eight in the morning, so we figured we’d have the pit completely opened by ten. Rich did a little research, and found the house listed in an 1860 directory, so we were sure there would be a privy. Finding it turned out to be no great mystery because of a shallow depression we first noticed in the backyard back in May. If our hunches were correct the privy was under an old patio that Eddie wanted removed because of the sagging, so things couldn’t have gone any better. I mean, an old house, a receptive homeowner, a pit ---all we needed now were the bottles!
Luckily, the privy was right where we thought it would be, a few probes confirmed it was loaded with ash. “The tip keeps coming up full of ash,” Rich mentioned.
Hopefully, now it was just a matter of time before we’d hit our first bottle. Opening up the pit turned out to be rather easy, given the extremely light ash. The dirt seemed to be flying off each shovel full before it hit the ground.
I’d say within the first four feet or so we had our first bottle; nothing great, an unembossed hinged-mold, sort of shaped like those small Union bluing bottles common during the 1860s. “Keep digging, Jack, till you hit more bottles,” we jokingly said. Although it was barely eleven, the sun was already above the surrounding buildings, making it a bit uncomfortable, so it was time to get a fresh body below.

Before and after pictures of the yard, showing what it looked like during digging and once we put it all back together; fence, patio blue stones and all.

I jump down, and continued to shovel out the ash at a steady pace. Outside of an occasional lump of partially burnt coal or broken brick nothing much was happening. The first hint of anything out of the ordinary I spotted near the wall. Judging by what I could see, the bottle seemed to be angled slightly upward with its neck protruding above a flattened area of ash. Once I was able to brush enough dirt away from the glass the familiar outline of an amber Drakes Plantation Bitters became apparent. Although it was hard to tell, two of the side panels and their matching roofs seemed intact. Once freed, in the bucket it went for safe keeping.
“Anybody want to come down here,” I asked (what a stupid question!) As you might expect, the answer was yes, and with that, down came Rich. We continued to move dirt; Rich filling buckets, Jack pulling, and myself dumping each load with a watchful eye. Almost immediately, Rich began uncovering small pockets of bottles and shards --- not the privy layers we wanted, but nevertheless, a hopeful sign of better things to come. By now the sun was shining against the back wall of the privy putting Rich in the spotlight, illuminating his every move. Within ten minutes Rich had amassed a nice little pile of bottles along side of where the buckets were coming from --- a few more blanks, black glass, a dated squat soda and a Knickerbocker stoneware bottle were visible from up top, just to name a few.
Although the privy was just average in size (about six foot round) it was pretty productive so far. We were now down seven feet, so on to the pontils we went! Totals thus far, about fifty bottles, including another Drakes that Rich unearthed just before his stint was up. Hey, one more, and we’d each have one.
Once Rich was up top we decided to take a short break. A quick glance at one another, and the bottles lying nearby revealed just how much ash had managed to settle on us and the surrounding landscape. It kind of reminded me of one of those TV documentaries on the Mt. St. Helens volcano. A sort of mini ash eruption in downtown Brooklyn.

These bottle represent about a quarter of what was actually dug. These were the better bottles that were un-damaged and not to badly stained, something for everyone.

When we finally took a look at the last load of bottles that Richie had sent up, Jack and myself were even happier. Rich had also sent up a large open pontil Professor Wood’s Hair Restorative and a Dr. Kennedy Medical Discovery that just missed being pontiled by only a few years. Add to this several more local hair bottles, and a few shards of mochaware, and the three of us were more than satisfied.
At about the ten foot layer the gray colored ash we had gotten so used to seeing was finally given way to some good old “nightsoil” or privy dirt. Knowing that the house dated from the later 1850s made the last several feet of digging that much more alluring. Who knows, maybe we’d find that ultimate stoneware or soda, that could become the cornerstone of a collection. With renewed interest we began to scrutinize each movement of dirt as if it were the last, hoping for something special.
It was now late afternoon, the shadows from the buildings themselves, plus what was being cast from surrounding trees was beginning to make it difficult for whoever was working in the pit. I didn’t mind staying up top, so it was up to both Jack and Richie to finish her up from below. So, while I continued to dump buckets and Jack pulled, it was Rich who worked what remained. With a little luck we’d figured there wouldn’t be many more buckets to take out anyway.

Some of the first bottles to come out of the Pierrepunt Street Privy.

Soon after we laid them down, they were covered with a silt-like ash.

The bottom seam was just chockfull of shards of yellow-ware, decorated crocks, and mocha bowls, that were unfortunately all smashed beyond repair. The open pontiled unembossed utilities and medicine types that we had been hitting all the way down continued; Rich must have pulled another ten or so just along the bottom layer. As for additional embossed bottles, not many more I’m afraid --- a nice plum-purple open pontil Lyons Powder and a few more commoner pontil medicines were about all that was left intact. Unfortunately a lot of broken bricks made sure of that.
All things considered, not a bad pit, about a fourteen footer with an unusually high amount of unembossed stuff. By the time we left Brooklyn, and thanked Eddie for the permission, it was after six. A quick stop at our favorite McDonalds, and it was on to Jack’s house to pick our bottles. Just another later than expected Saturday night home from digging. Our next scheduled digs, both in the Heights, one Rich says dates back to 1827 we’ll keep our fingers and probes crossed for good luck.

That's Rich down about nine feet and 120 years! The bottle he's holding looks to be English, probably a condiment of some kind. In the bucket and up, for safe keeping.

(below)One final shot of the four of us (left to right, Jack, Me, Richie, and the Homeowner, Eddie). Eddie was happy the way things turned out, we helped him with his cistern problem, and he returned the favor by letting us dig the privy in his yard.

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