# Where do you live?  And where do you dig?



## pvg_320 (Jun 8, 2004)

Just curious where we're all from - many of you have a location filled out, but a lot do not.  

 Kansas City area here - town of Olathe.  Santa Fe trail supply stop, and one of the older towns in Kansas.  Oldest houses still standing probably from late 1850's early 1860s, but the majority of the old houses are from 1870-1900.

 Have done one dig in town, and found a cobalt key mold base!  Not a good start.  Hoping to hit a better site this summer when I have time.   My best find so far has been a crude  local med dated Jan 18 1881, sticking out of the top layers of a collapsed cellar in the woods.

 Anyone else near the Kansas City area?  I've got some clients in E Alabama (Opelika), SE Ohio (Gallipolis), New Hampshire (Laconia), and Maryland (Clinton) that I may travel to in the next 6 months, so interested in hearing from anyone in those areas as well - I would really enjoy helping out on a dig.


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## Pontiled (Jun 8, 2004)

I'm in God-forsaken Henderson, North Carolina, about 20 miles south of the Great State of Virginia! Yep, we will move back to Virginia as soon as the house has a buyer. Three bedrooms, 2 full baths, and everything else you cvan imagine, sitting on 3/4 acres with a huge pond out back, and no one seems interested or they can't afford it!

 Been digging since the mid-1960's, written many books on the hobby as well as numerous articles, and provide informational service to museums. My specialty is bottles from the Civil War period (1861-1865).

 So, how about it out there?


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## luvtodig (Jun 8, 2004)

Hey Pontiled sounds like you "love" where you live...lol..just kidding..I am in Sounthern Illinois, very rural area, nearest "big" town is Carbondale, where the university is, about 60 miles away..I started digging in the 80's..I am new to this area, we have not been out too much yet...also the rain, and tornados are keeping us near to the house..can't wait to explore this whole area...keep al the pics coming guys, it is helping me a lot...thanks!  []


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## Pontiled (Jun 8, 2004)

Susanne and Julie, you're both in some good areas to dig, it's the "finding" the spots to dig and getting permission to dig. I used to go up to Jamestown, N.Y., to dig an old town dump (many good memories of that) and the rural areas around Jamestown. Down in Good Old Virginia, I've dug many Civil War sites that were quite productive. Hang in there and tell us what you find! By the way, it's absolutely great to see 2 young ladies digging. Now, if I can get my other daughter interested, I'd be a happy Dad.


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## luvtodig (Jun 9, 2004)

Pontiled..thank-you for the "young lady" tag[] wish I was[] in my heart yes! I got my 20 year old daughter intrested in bottle digging when she was just a little one, her and her brother went with us everywhere..we dug in Wash state..it was quite a education for my kids growing up..my daughter still loves old things, and would go out in a heartbeat to dig today..so hang in there with your girls, hopefuly they will learn to love it too[] I have been doing research here, maps and such, soon I hope we will be able to get out there and get dirty[8D] take care!


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## soilandglass (Jun 9, 2004)

MANCHESTER ENGLAND UK.


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## David Osborn (Jun 9, 2004)

Omaha Nebraska, no diggers here besides my intended and myself that i know of. I have lots of old bottles displayed in my used bookshop to get the old-timers motivated to talk about the dumps and sites. I do ravines, hills, abandoned areas. I also do artwork on commission if anyone wants to look !  -Dave (and Terri) PS: That isn't Terri !


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## Gunsmoke47 (Jun 9, 2004)

Hey Ya'll, I'm from North Texas. What they call the panhandle. We don't have too much to dig around here that is pre 1875. Me and my diggin buddie have been working an Indian Wars Military site off and on for a couple of years. I did spend 3 of my 46 years down in South Mississippi but unfortunately at that particular time of my life, all I had on my mind was football and girls![] A bottle was just a convienant way to drink a beverage. [] Happy Diggin,  Kelley


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## Pontiled (Jun 9, 2004)

Hey Kelley, you weren't near Biloxi, Miss., were you? I spent a year there while in uniform. That place has certainly changed!


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## Gunsmoke47 (Jun 9, 2004)

Hey Mike, I wasn't too far from Biloxi. I used to go to both Biloxi, and Gulfport to the beach in the summer. I lived in a map dot called Ellisville. It was between Hattisburg and Laurel. It was in Jones County which during the Civil War was a seperate state in the union (I was told.)  I never researched that out as I was a 15 year old transplanted Texan and didn't know, or care squat about history at that time! (Oh the mistakes we make at a tender age[&o] )  Maybe you or someone knows if that was true?  Thanks,  Kelley


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## woody (Jun 9, 2004)

I call New Hampshire home, now.
 I graduated Berklee College of Music in 1977.
 I spent 6 years in the U.S.M.C. as a drummer in the Marine Band.
 I spent time in Parris Island, S.C.. Little Creek, Va.(Naval School of Music), Camp LeJeune, N.C. (Tarheel state), a year in Okinawa, Japan, three years at Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, California.
 I've been to Japan, Guam, Philipines, Korea and Australia (Canberra, Sidney and Melbourne), Canada, Puerto Rico, St. Thomas (Virgin Islands).
 I like the slower and mellower lifestyle of New Hampshire, not to mention all the good bottle dumps and Stoddard and Keene glass.
 Sandwich glass, too.
 I work in a hardware store and play drums with my band.


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## leebran20 (Jun 9, 2004)

Born, raised and still living and digging whenever I can in Honolulu, HI, though I spent my four years of college at Claremont McKenna in SoCal. I'm a writer and editor; started out covering all types of sports but mostly now focus on water sports like surfing.

 Started collecting bottles by surface hunting as an early teen, and got out of it by the time I was around 16. Took about 12 years before I was bit by the bug again and forever more: I was at the news desk when the president of the state bottle club came in to try to get some coverage of the upcoming annual show; I overheard him talking about it, went over and started talking to him, and the Features editor told me to write a story on it since I was familiar with it. Here's the link if you're interested: starbulletin.com/2001/06/21/features/story1.html - 12k

 Completely overcome with the sickness since then and going strong now for the last three years. Dug just one pontiled pit during this time, but we do have a disproportionately large number of different types of bimal sodas from 1870-1915 to be found for a small state. And local milks do extremely well on the market here too.


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## IRISH (Jun 10, 2004)

I'm from Cockatoo/mount Burnett in the state of Victoria in Australia,  it's about an hour's drive east of Melbourne.   Plenty of history around here as with most of victoria starting with the 1850's Goldrushes then a huge timber industry and now mostly spud farming (and horses),  we didn't get the huge population in the early 1850's like some of the bigger goldfields (about 1000 diggers on the biggest field here compared to 60,000 plus in one camp in central Vic [:-] ) but they left a lot of goodies to find [] .


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## pvg_320 (Jun 10, 2004)

Great responses, thanks.  I got the bug early, as a 10 yr old in the UK when my dad was flying for the USAF over there.

 Dug lots of british Codds, poisons and fruits from a dump ("tip" as we were told to call them!) near a friends house in Beachamwell in the early 1980s.  Attrition set in and they all were broken in various moves.   Moved back to the states and forgot all about bottles until I was out of grad school...and now here I am.  Apparently the bottles never stopped calling to me, I just wasn't listening 

 Good to see a Southern Illinois reference, I was born in Pinckneyville and my new dig buddy went to school at Carbondale.


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## Maine Digger (Jun 10, 2004)

I'm originally from New York State, lived in the Shawangunk Mtns. (foothills of the Catskills), moved to Boston in 73' finally to Westbrook, Maine in 77'.  Love the state for it's ocean, mountains, forests etc., dislike it's politics - too many imports from Massachusetts coming in trying to change the soul of Maine![8D] Many towns in southern Maine can't even say 'Christmas' in school anymore, it's now a 'Seasonal Holiday' grrrrrr.[]


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## Pontiled (Jun 10, 2004)

pvg-320, what did your Dad fly for the USAF?

 I loved the big bird (B-52's) during the Vietnam War.


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## pvg_320 (Jun 10, 2004)

> pvg-320, what did your Dad fly for the USAF?


 
 He was an F-111 right seater (among other jobs in the AF) from 1977-93. They were put out of US comission in 1996, but the Aussies still fly them out of Amberley in Queensland.     They are a little faster than the big birds!  But I liked them all, still do.  My sister is in an AWACS squadron now...so she got a big comfortable ride.

 Dad has dug with me before, and I think I can get him out on another one sometime.


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## bigkitty53 (Jun 11, 2004)

From Bermuda,dig and dive for bottles island-wide.Usually dig during our winter and start diving about May when the stinking heat starts up again!Having read some of the posts on others' digging conditions I'll consider myself lucky!(no snakes,scorpions,blackflies,mites,chiggars,etc,etc.!)

 Hats off to you all!

 KAT


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## deepwoods (Jun 11, 2004)

Im originally from a small town in Sth  Connecticut, Lyme, and I wish I had known about  digging when I was growing up; there was at least 20 to 30 houses in the town from the   1700s! I could have cleaned up in the 60s-oh well. I live right now just outside Rochester, N.Y and work as a roofing contractor and play blues harp with a trio. I have one very big  dump way back in the woods that I dig in-mostly 1900-20s with some older stuff;dug my  first bitters last year-a nice Niagra Star. Woody,sounds like you know your way around    the drums-have you heard those Buddy on the bus recordings on the net yet? Talk about  the bandleader from hell. The guy could play though. Mike, I love to hear your stories      from the early digging days,oh for a time machine-you guys"really had the place to         yourselves"back then;did you know guys that started earlier than you did?


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## woody (Jun 12, 2004)

Someone posted those Buddy Rich recordings on Billy Cobhams website.
 He had quite the mouth.
 There's some recording of Paul Anka, too, on the same site.
 You would've thought he was Buddys' protege.
 I still gig alot around the Lakes Region of Central N.H.
 Our trumpet player doubles on Harmonica.


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## Pontiled (Jun 12, 2004)

J.D., I've got lots of stories from the old days, but would I bore you all with them? Just tell me, if you all want to hear them (It would be like Grandpa sitting in the center with everyone else sitting around, wishing they had been there!).

 Hey guys, I also sang in the old days! My cousin was "Cousin Sadie" with WLVA in Lynchburg, Va.


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## Rrey199 (Jun 12, 2004)

I'm from upstate NY, 75 miles north of NYC. My house dates to 1884, and my area is full of historic areas. New Paltz is 2 miles from me and was settled in 1649.


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## luvtodig (Jun 13, 2004)

Hey Mike! Stories are always good, not boring..what was it like to go into these bottle dumps where no one else had been?  Were the bottles just laying on the ground?  The old homesteads ; did they just leave things behind when they vacated? Intresting reading for me at least..there was one place that we dug, back in the 80's that no one had touched for 100 years..it was so cool[8D]..I would like to hear more..take care!


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## Pontiled (Jun 13, 2004)

Hi nSusanne,

 Okay, I'll start telling stories about the early days and hope you all will enjoy them. I will try to begin telling them tomorrow. I certainly hope that they will be informative, honest (above all else), and interesting to everyone..


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## deepwoods (Jun 13, 2004)

Mike - Please do!  Btw Anything left of that Jamestown dump?


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## ryanguns1974 (Jun 21, 2004)

I am brand new to this site.

 I live in Chicago,IL and am looking for good places to dig.

 Any info is appreciated.

 Thanks guys.


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## Pontiled (Jun 21, 2004)

Okay, let's start with the old Jamestown, N.Y., site, since it's been mentioned before. It's right off of Rt. 17, near the city and right off the lake. I haven't been there in more than 20 years, so it's probably built over by now, but who knows? If it's still there and you can get on, let me know what you find. Dig on the left side as you face the site. The oldest things are toward the front, but it doesn't matter; it's a great old dump.

 There were 4 of us digging. One fellow went off toward the front of the site while the other 3 dug as a group elsewhere. The digging was good. We dug some nice blob-top sodas and beers, tons of medicines and canning jars, etc. The digging was always good.  Seriously, we would leave Virginia with only our digging tools and the clothes we needed. You don't drive that many miles unless it's worth it. Each time, we came back with a full truck full of goodies and left a lot behind.

 On this particular day, the single digger, Howard, went and dug a hole further up from us. After a while, we heard him yelling, so we scrambled to see what was wrong. When we got there, we saw Howard's feet sort of sticking up from the hole with his head well into the hole. The overburden was about 1-1/2 feet deep, right over his head. We thought some of it had collapsed on him. Nope, he another reason to holler!

 Howard had unearthed the remnants of an old tin with jewelry in it. He held his hand out to us. The first thing I remember coming out was an emerald ring, then a wedding band 
 (gold, of course). Then another wedding band and a diamond ring. This process continued for quite a while. After he had gotten everything out, we sat down and discussed what he had found. Of course, it's a bit hard to talk when you've just excavated a small fortune, but we sat and finally tried to figure out where they came from. The only thing that would explain it a jewelry store robbery. There were more gold wedding bands that would be in a family. People don't usually have more than 1 diamond ring, especially in different sizes. They were either hidden in the dump or somewhere else and accidentally put in the household's trash.

 Now, for me, the best part was that Harold, a strong and good worker, was out of work and his unemployment was running out. This little ransom would keep Harold and his wife, along with their children, with food and a house over their heads for quite a while. A little over a year later, Howard was back at work.  Thanks for the true tale, Howard.

 Next time, we'll talk about the right side of the site. But that's another story.


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## deepwoods (Jun 22, 2004)

Great story Mike! I guess the powers that be work in mysterious ways.I read the             autobiography of a cat burgler from the turn of the century who said he burgled a            company payroll,buried the loot in lot,came back 2mths later only to find a new house      built right on top of the spot.Made me think of your friends find.What about some of the   great bottles you found over the years?Any one of kinds or close to it?I have a friend       that dug a very strange,crude teepee soda - Charmont Soda Water,teal,very pronounced shape,supposedly only one other one known.Did you know anybody that dug in the         fifties or earlier?


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## luvtodig (Jun 22, 2004)

Thanks for the great story Mike[]   I love happy endings[]  as we all know, people buried things all the time in the old days..I have heard tales of money found in jars, in the walls of houses, ect...loot from a holdup is what kepps treasure hunters going...looking forward to the next story Mike[]


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## Gunsmoke47 (Jun 22, 2004)

Great story Mike! And *HOORAY* for Harold! Stories like this is what it is all about. For every thousand times I've sunk a shovel and come up empty, there is always the chance that the next time there will be an extremely rare bottle, a well preserved historical artifact, or a small fortune from a robbery of yore![] I love this hobby!  Happy Diggin,  Kelley


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## Tandy (Jun 28, 2004)

[] As my signature says, I am from a suburb of Adelaide, South Australia  called Netherby, which is actually part of a larger suburban city called Mitcham, which contains plains as well as hills and valleys. The nearest place I dig is about half an hour's walk from here, along a small creek into our hills area. It dates from maybe just before 1925 to around the late 1950's.

 However, I never miss the chance to dig in other areas of the state I live in, South Australia. One place that our state bottle club has had digs at is a small town about 200k from Adelaide, called Terowie. We are hoping to dig there again soon, and then I can post the information and what was dug and a photo or two. Terowie had the longest railway platform in South Australia,  and when it was a railway town, had the distinction of General Douglas McArthur alighting on the platform.

 Unfortunately, most of the known sites around Adelaide have been dug out, and research into other possible sites is very slowly opening up more sites around Adelaide.

 A feature of collecting bottles in the north of South Australia, apart from digging century plus old dumps, is "mud treading" in mangroves at Port Augusta and Port Pirie and some places close by.

  []


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## pvg_320 (Jun 28, 2004)

TANDY - Always wanted to get out to Australia...bottle diggin would be a great excuse.   Sounds like most of the diggin in AUS is in creeks or dumps - have you attempted any privies/dunny holes yet?   Might be better luck there if your local dumps are dug out.  

 Not sure if Aussies used their outhouses the same as US folks did, though.


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## Tandy (Jun 28, 2004)

[] pvg_320 - I personally have not dug any dunny holes, but they certainly do get dug. Wells are sometimes dug out also. 

 Apart from old dumps and creek beds, areas around old farm houses are probed and dug, as are vacant sites after demolitions. Long gone pubs, inns, even towns are dug after some research to find them, often scrub (bushland) is searched, but there it is more likely to be on the surface.

 Some diving takes place also, especially in New South Wales.

 []


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## IRISH (Jun 29, 2004)

Lot's of diving and creek digging in Victoria and NSW,  dunny holes and tips (dumps) are prolific over most settled areas but it's now illegal to dig up anything over 50 years old in Victoria so naturally we don't do anything but creeks now [] (how stupid can they make a law ? [8|] [] ).


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## cigar joe (Jun 29, 2004)

I'm from NYC originnally but did a lot of dump digging in the early 70's in the Adirondacks. Lived in Montana for 24 years, but didn't do too much digging there, but was able to explore old mine sites & rairoad lines and collected insulators and miner and railroad paraphanalia. Now I'm back in NY in between the Shawngunks & Catskills in Shokan. I'm a part time surveyor so I still find old dumps & bottles occasionally with some nice bottles still laying on the surface. Haven't found any viens yet mostly surface dumps along stone walls.


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## amblypygi (Jul 1, 2004)

I'm an aquatic biologist in western Massachusetts. I generally spend my time diving more than digging, but I have stumbled across a riverbank dump or two. And there are still things to be found in the rivers and lakes, though it's getting harder every year. Lots of people are into bottle diving these days. I've been collecting bottles since the late 60s, when I was a kid and we lived on a 365-year old farm house in West Greenwich, RI. (really, built in the mid-16th century supposedly, the original house was tiny and enclosed in later additions). Man I wish I still had my collection from back then, it has disappeared over the years. And there was that time my little sister tipped over the bottle shelf... D'oh!!

 Sean


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## Harry Pristis (Jul 1, 2004)

Hi, Sean . . .

 I remember exchanging posts with you now.  The aquatic biologist -- aquatic insects was your emphasis, if memory serves me.  I remember looking forward to seeing pics of the bottles you were finding in the rivers (I am a river diver, too).

 BTW, I like that line-drawing (woodcut?) of the Bufonid in the pic of your books in another thread.

 ----------Harry Pristis


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## amblypygi (Jul 1, 2004)

Hi Harry,

 Yup, aquatic insect population genetics, Chironomidae, to be overly precise. I just published the last chapter of my dissertation yesterday! Well, it was accepted yesterday, it will be out sometime I hope 

 That does look like a Bufonid, but it's actually our only Hylid, the grey treefrog. Pen and ink by my good friend Ethan Nedeau. If you like such things you should check out his website http://www.biodrawversity.com


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## Harry Pristis (Jul 2, 2004)

Congratulations on your educational achievement, Sean!

H. versicolor!  I have seen some of those in breeding aggregations in the Midwest, when I lived up there.  They were never abundant where I was.  Now, I see H. cinerea on my windows every night during the summer here in Florida.  

 I looked at your friend's web-site -- very nice work!

 ---------Harry Pristis


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## Oldtimer (Jul 3, 2004)

You people digging in Australia have my respect. As far  as this Yankee knows, everything in that place down there wants to kill you. I would not be digging around in the dumps...fear of that random death snake would keep me away...


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## Matt in NH (Jul 5, 2004)

Born and raised in NH. I am just outside of Manchester...I am a bit new to digging bottles, but I have been metal detecting for 9 years....BOTTLE DIGGING RULES! I just need more experience digging privies...they can be a pain to find in rural areas.


 Matty


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## IRISH (Jul 5, 2004)

Hey Oldtimer,  it's not that bad,  most things only want to sting/bite you in a painfull but non-lethel way [] .  We do get some very large and interesting spiders in soft dirt but as long as we take a bit of care they are ok,  same for snakes as long as you see them they are fine.   Crocs are a different story and there is no way you would ever get me in a creek where they live,  I keep inviteing Oz-riley to go creek digging up north while I sit on the bank with a big rifle to protect him but he won't go [] .  The crocs territory starts a few thousand kilometers north so we are safe from them here.


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## new2diggin (Jul 31, 2004)

Hello,

 I live in Maryland. We moved to an old farm house in late March. There is a section of woods that divides our property and an abandoned farm. Farm land is all around except to the one side newer homes have been built. My husband walked through the little bit of woods that we have to find the property markers and came across 'our' dump(s). I just started digging this past month..it has been way too hot for me. I am now addicted and would dig every day if I were able. I/we have found so many bottles it is crazy. Now, we just need to find out if they are worth anything. I know we will get some money out of the milk bottles, I have already sold some. my brother helped me and in 1 day we found 22 small milk bottles and 3 larger ones. This past week I went and found 7 big bottles and a few small ones. Today I only found 2 small and some clear glass jar lid covers. Also, there are a TON of the ceramic jar lids. It is really fun to see what you can come up with next. Very disappointing though when you find something that you know is worth a lot and it is broken...which is alot of the stuff in the dump.

 Take Care,
 Lisa


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## pvg_320 (Jul 31, 2004)

Amblypygi -  sounds like you have an interesting job.   I had an opportunity to get into a 'Systematics and Ecology' grad program at one point, but went off in a totally different direction and am now in the health care IT world.  I will return to biology someday!    

 I've been a bit of a reptile fanatic since I was a kid.   I always flip boards and rocks when I'm out looking for old homesteads.      I don't think I'd do as much of that in Australia though, I agree with Oldtimer.   The most venomous things around here are the Timber rattlers, but they're so laid back it's not really an issue unless you step on one.

 Haven't been able to get out lately, cabin fever is setting in.  Lots of possible dump sites to explore...


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## Gunsmoke47 (Aug 1, 2004)

Hi Lisa and welcome to the forum![] Sounds like you have a great opportunity ahead of you and the bottle bug has claimed another victum! You will find the people here not only have a plethera of information but are super nice and ready to help. If you find some bottles that you are unsure of, post some pics if you can and chances are somebody will be able to help you. Happy Diggin,  Kelley


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## kumtow (Aug 1, 2004)

Hi Guys,
            I now live in Northern Queensland, right in the middle of crocodile and Taipan (very very bad snake) territory.   One gets into the habit of turning over every piece of tin, rock or wood with a long stick especially if one wishes to maintain ones health [:-].   A friend and I are considering a creek dive where we think there are lots of bottles but the snappin' handbags are putting us off.  Considering building a cage of sorts.
            20 years ago I lived and dug in Geraldton Western Australia.  Biggest problem digging there was collapsing sand dunes.  I've been burried up to my chest twice.  No Taipans or crocs over there though.
             I have often wondered why we don't have bears, lions or wolves here but we do have just about every nasty, crawly, venomous, bitey thing there is. What did we Australians do in our past lives to deserve this??  
             I have spent a lot of time in the bush (20 years in the Army) and one of the funniest things I have ever seen is watching Kiwi (New Zealand) and American soldiers patrolling through the Australian bush.  You will never see a more nervous bunch of blokes.


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## deepwoods (Aug 2, 2004)

Alan - Greetings from Western N.Y!  Have methods of treatment/medicinal  approaches   etc  improved - refined  for snake bites,stings over there? Anti-venom and such. The      ones that freak me out the most are those jelly and stone fish - probobly because they   always use the word"excrutiating"when describing the effects. Cheers.


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## kumtow (Aug 3, 2004)

Hi Deepwoods,
                      Yes mate, treatment and medicinal approaches are state of the art.  Aussies are generally well educated on what to do for venomous bites and we all have a healthy respect for the bitey critters here.   One just doesn't take stupid chances.  
 Where I live we also have the Box and Irukanji jelly fish.  Jellyfish strings can be excruciating, or so I've heard, I don't intend to find out personally.  There has been a couple of Irukanji deaths in the past 18 months and not a lot of research has been done on the little buggers.   Jelly fish are seasonal so we don't swim in the sea for the hottest 5 months of the year.  We also have large stinger net enclosures so that people who cannot control their sudden urges to swim can do so with relative safety.   Funnily enough, something as thin as a stocking will stop jellyfish stings so stinger suits ( like a body stocking) are available.  Townsville's university has a large Marine Biology department and Irukanji research is a top priority.
                      One important thing that you have to consider is that even with all the snakes, crocs, sharks, spiders, cone shells, jellyfish and stone fish, one has a greater chance of being run over by a bus.   I've spent many years surfing and stomping around in the bush and I have never had any problems.  Well... except for an argument with a stingray, he won, and I spent half a day in hospital[].


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## ronvae (Aug 15, 2004)

Hi,
 I just joined, couldn't stand it anymore.  I'm a coldwater diver in Minnesota, and I started muck divin' just because it was another kind of diving to do.  Late last summer I found my first old bottle, now I've got about a dozen bottles, maybe four pre-1900, and the bug has bit.  Yesterday I was diving with a friend who found FOUR keepers & 2 were patent medicines.  I average maybe 1 keeper bottle every 15 muck dives.  I would never want to sell them, the thing I get a charge out of is the hunt and the thought that I'm the first person to touch a bottle in a hundred years.  I've hit zillions of websites in the past few months & was really impressed with this forum.


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## CanadianBoy (Sep 24, 2004)

As my name surgests,I dig in Ontario,Canada.
 I'm digging a dump I 've not seen in 30 years,when I saw it last it was open field & swamp,it is now almost all trees.Also a house,the dump is about 4 acres.
 It probably started as a dump in the 1860's,and closed down in 1920.
 So far we've dug Ginger Beers,Soda's,Perfumes,Crocks,lots of Flasks,Whiskey's,Gins and Medicines,and with it Old Model T's,assorted appliances,tools,lots of old rusty cans,a couple of nice Snakes,a family of Moles,assorted Frogs and Toads etc,etc,etc.
 I think we've also dug the complete stock of AMBER Welcome Chemical druggist bottles
 There are also more Olive Jars than I want to think about!!!!
 My wife is not too happy about it,so I have to keep it down to 3 days a week.

 So many bottles,so little time


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## CanadianBoy (Sep 25, 2004)

Here's a couple of pics of the dump!!


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## CanadianBoy (Sep 25, 2004)

And one of the best,mint but no wire!.


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## CanadianBoy (Sep 25, 2004)

Cleaned!


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## kastoo (Sep 26, 2004)

Nice pic....Boy would I like to sort through that!


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## kastoo (Sep 26, 2004)

I used to guard FB-111s in Plattsburgh, NY!  I will retire after 20 in Jul 05.


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## CanadianBoy (Sep 27, 2004)

The stuff you see in the dump were our discards,The pic is about 1month ago.
 Since then we,ve dug up and discarded at least 10X this.
 I'll put up more pics later!.


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## woody (Sep 27, 2004)

What a good dump that must be to dig.
 Looks like alot of keepers to me.


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## bottlerobin (Sep 28, 2004)

Hey CanadianBoy
 I'm a digger in Toronto, collecting mostly Stoneware, inks and squat sodas.
 Nice Port Hope ginger beer!

 Bottlerobin


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## CanadianBoy (Sep 28, 2004)

I was out this afternoon for a couple of hours,I decided to do another test hole!!.........
 Here's the results,this dump just keeps going and going...or giving and giving.
 The owner has the place up for sale,so we decided we better dig faster.


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## CanadianBoy (Sep 28, 2004)

This is about 200 feet from the first hole!.


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## CanadianBoy (Sep 28, 2004)

Hey bottlerobin,these are the inks I've found so far...not sure about the green one!.


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## CanadianBoy (Sep 28, 2004)

This was a nice find ...National Shaving Lotion..with the stopper(crown)


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## CanadianBoy (Sep 28, 2004)

Hey Woody,well I think we got spoiled early on,so anything without a name gets discarded.Unless its interesting!.And of course we have no room to store them,there're
 must be between 6000 & 8000 discards.
 Some days thats about all we find,and its like all dumps,nothing..and them bingo...then nothing.


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## woody (Sep 28, 2004)

Are you finding any pontiled glass???


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## Tandy (Sep 29, 2004)

Hi CanadianBoy, I am impressed by the bottles dug from the test hole. In particular, the four blues. What was in the blues?

 Cheers from Oz!


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## kastoo (Sep 29, 2004)

Hmm, lots of discards and no way you can haul them out to sell or donate for postage to anyone so the stuff is saved or appreciated by somebody else?  Be a shame if that stuff was destroyed and built over or access no longer allowed to it.  Some folks have no place to dig or are unable to dig.  I know it's not your fault but what a shame!  Wouldn't it be cool if someone had they're own land that would never be built on and the 8000 discards could lay there and be rediscovered by novices for fun or for 25 cents a piece even!  Gees 8,000 10 cent bottles = 800 bucks!  Possibilities, possibilities and more possibilities wish I had that opportunity!   It's a goldstrike for sure!


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## CanadianBoy (Sep 29, 2004)

Well we're finding alot of pontiled,but most of it is broken.Went today for a hr,not much
 just a few amber druggist bottles,one of them was a dark amber had an applied lip and a rough pontil!.


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## CanadianBoy (Sep 29, 2004)

Hey Kastoo,we looked at buying the place,but its too expensive,maybe if they dropped the price by a $100,000.


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## carobran (Nov 9, 2011)

im from Kosciusko,Miss...............ill let ya know where i dig...................when i find a place _to_ dig..[8|][8D][]


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## Wheelah23 (Nov 9, 2011)

...How do you find these threads??? ...WHY??? [&:]

 Anyway, I'm from Glen Ridge, and I dig mostly here and in a couple of the neighboring towns. Dumps are certainly hard to come by, so I'm trying to dig more privies. Plenty of those, in this old section of the country...


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## carobran (Nov 9, 2011)

i have my ways[].............and because i like raising them from the dead[&:][8D][8D].........and they're interesting


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## Plumbata (Nov 9, 2011)

> ORIGINAL:  carobran
> i like raising them from the dead


 
 Keep this in mind, carobran;

 Necromancy is just a step or two away from Necrophilia...[]


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## RICKJJ59W (Nov 9, 2011)

Notice most of these people are no longer with us,only the hard core remain. The new ones come and go,these threads speak for them selves.


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## CALDIGR2 (Nov 9, 2011)

Reviving a thread after 7 years? That's some serious diggin'.

 In live in Sacramento, CA and dug just about anywhere in the Far West, plus an occasional foray to the East Coast.


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## cyberdigger (Nov 9, 2011)

Hi my name is Charlie, I live in NJ and I dig online. []


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## VTdigger (Nov 9, 2011)

I live in Shaftsbury Vermont (though I mostly dig in near by Bennington),  I dig old town dumps as well as household dumps,cellar holes, along rivers and streams, ( as well as in the the streams themselves )  The stream by the former United States and Norton potteries, abandoned houses when I can find some not to close to the road. 

 As for other ways of finding old bottles besides digging, I go to the Goodwill store almost everyday, and all other local consignment/thrift stores at least once a week, Tag sales in the summer ( I mostly check the local paper for one that have antiques.)  and when I have a little extra money, I go to the big antique store called Camelot Village that has over 10,000 square feet and over 140 dealers.


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## carobran (Nov 9, 2011)

> ORIGINAL: CALDIGR2
> 
> Reviving a thread after 7 years? That's some serious diggin'.


 i love reving old threads,i found this while searching "MISSISSIPPI" trying to find other Miss. collectors...[]


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## carobran (Nov 9, 2011)

> ORIGINAL: cyberdigger
> 
> Hi my name is Charlie, I live in NJ and I dig online. []


 why hello charlie!![8D].........whats that red word under your username??[8|][8D][8D][8D][]


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## cyberdigger (Nov 9, 2011)

It says... redrum ..[&:]


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## carobran (Nov 9, 2011)

you sure it doesnt say.............redwine??[8|]


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## cyberdigger (Nov 9, 2011)

I am positive.


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## carobran (Nov 9, 2011)

_wise guy^^^[8|][8|]_


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## cyberdigger (Nov 9, 2011)

Now ain't that the pot calling the kettle black!? [>:]


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## carobran (Nov 9, 2011)

you arent in a very good mood today,are you??[8|][]


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## cyberdigger (Nov 9, 2011)

On the contrary, I'm extatic. Never been better.. what, can't you tell?


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## cyberdigger (Nov 9, 2011)

Listen kiddo.. I hate to say it, but you kinda bother me. Not so much that I feel compelled to delete your posts, at least you're not vulgar, obscene, or otherwise banibly or deletibly objectionable, but why do you need to write so much nonsense here? Don't you see we're trying to talk about real subjects? You have 2000 posts already, and you are almost never posting anything of substance.. the ratio is low.
 I know you're young. I don't hate you or anything. I am really looking forward to your expedient maturation.


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## Wheelah23 (Nov 9, 2011)

Look at the pan accusing the pot of calling the kettle black! ...Does that even make sense? [8|]

 You're the craziest guy on this forum, Charlie, and I mean that in a good way... Endearing, even... [8D] And until little Car came along, you posted more than everybody on this forum! ...Do I sense a little envy that Car has become the most numerically omnipresent member?


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## cyberdigger (Nov 9, 2011)

I don't think so, but we are not our own best judges, are we? []


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## epackage (Nov 9, 2011)

I live in a house, I dig in the dirt....[:-]


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## d12016466 (Nov 9, 2011)

Hi all, I live in massachusetts,just north of Rhode Island. I do almost all my digging and diving in Rhode Island. If rhodeislanders can come in and work in my state, I can sure come in and get there bottles and quahogs.. all's fair in love and war,Dave ps I would move there but the sales tax is 7%


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## d12016466 (Nov 9, 2011)

I'm sure very bottle diver from massachusetts found one of these glasses


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## carobran (Nov 10, 2011)

> ORIGINAL: cyberdigger
> 
> Listen kiddo.. I hate to say it, but you kinda bother me. Not so much that I feel compelled to delete your posts, at least you're not vulgar, obscene, or otherwise banibly or deletibly objectionable, but why do you need to write so much nonsense here? Don't you see we're trying to talk about real subjects? You have 2000 posts already, and you are almost never posting anything of substance.. the ratio is low.
> I know you're young. I don't hate you or anything. I am really looking forward to your expedient maturation.


 you dont wanna read them,you dont have to.............just scroll on past em'...........problem solved[8|][8|][8|]


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## tigue710 (Nov 10, 2011)

I'm from America, and I dig here in America... I dug in Dover England once too


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## riverdiver (Nov 10, 2011)

I am a native of California, Simi Valley to be exact. Grew up digging the hills of Ventura County and moved back east with the Navy. Ended up in NH first in Litchfield then Londonderry, Northfield, Bow and lastly Bradford. My name says it all, dive rivers and an occasional lake and detect in the off season.


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## Headhunter2 (Nov 11, 2011)

Southwest Ga. here. I dig anything old, when the gnats, snakes, ticks, skitters and Bambi killers are not around


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## Longhunter (Dec 8, 2011)

> ORIGINAL:  carobran
> 
> i love reving old threads,i found this while searching "MISSISSIPPI" trying to find other Miss. collectors...[]


 
 Well, I'm from Mississippi. I'm in Meridian. I hunt arrowheads but bottles turn up from time to time.
 I have a few nice bottles that have come from the creeks around here. Ales, sodas, meds.
 Must have been a bunch of snuff dippers around here. I find those things all the time (LOL).

 Mike


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## beendiggin (Dec 8, 2011)

I'm from Maine and I dig in Maine


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## DIGGIN DOC (Dec 9, 2011)

LAWNGUYLANDER HERE....I LIVE IN FARM COUNTRY ON THE NOFO. I HIKE FARM ROADS AND LOOKS FOR FARM DUMPS. I DO PRETTY FRIGGIN GOOD...WHEN I'M NOT GETTING SHOT AT.


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