# Frankfort Cistern Dig



## lexdigger (Oct 14, 2007)

Tim had a permission in Frankfort so we went to check it out. He said there were two cisterns there and we wanted to crack them open to see what was in them. After digging down through four feet of clay and bricks we finally punched through to an ash layer. Here's Tim getting ready to pull a bucket. 






 We ended up getting into a decent age for a cistern. At first it didn't look too good with alot of machine made junk, but then just a little deeper it got a little older. 





 We ended up digging it down about eight feet deep. We never did make it to the bottom. There is still alot of digging left to be done so I think we're going to go back and dig it out completly. Me in the cistern with two blob top ciders. 





 There were alot of cool finds for sure, but this one had the most historical significance. We were digging at the Macklin house and we dug a sign with the name on it. Tim is going to clean it up and give it to the property owner.


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## lexdigger (Oct 14, 2007)

Here's the better stuff I ended up bringing home. Not a bad dig for a cistern! 





 These toothbrushes were too cool! They say J.W. Gayle Frankfort, Ky. This is the name of a local druggist. 





 I got this big local druggist. Pretty neat that it has the Gayle name on it as well. 





 Tim got this local milk. It's the first milk I've seen from Frankfort, it has to be a good one. 





 These were pretty cool to. They aren't local, but you gotta love the name! We think they were hard ciders because we dumped out what was left in them and it smelled like apple. Anyone have any info on these? 





 Some stuff cleaned up. We plan on trying to go back next weekend and get started bright and early. It's getting dark earlier so we'll really have to hit it hard to get it dug out completly. 





 Happy Hunting! Chris


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## beendiggin (Oct 14, 2007)

I found in Zumwalt's book on page 362 a listing for "Sanitarium Food Co./ Sanitarium CA." and "Sanitarium Food Co./St. Helena, CAL". There isn't any  info on the company, but there is a couple of pictures of the bottles and they don't resemble yours.  They are clear, one is round with a slug plate, the other is square. It does state that there is a "dove" embossed on the base of both. The pics look like sauce bottles, and I would guess from the same time period (toc) by the looks of them.  Maybe they are connected somehow?


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## lexdigger (Oct 14, 2007)

Cool. I'd say it's the same food company, just a different town. I figured it was a blob top beer when I handed the first one up. Then they read it to me. There was one that still had some contents left inside and smelled like rotten apples. We're thinking it's a hard cider, but aren't sure. It's a neat bottle though and we each got to take one home. Chris


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## Tony14 (Oct 14, 2007)

nicee finds chris!!


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## Jim (Oct 14, 2007)

Good dig, Chris. The sign is an important historical find. It would be cool if you could find an old picture with the sign in it. The bone hair brush is cool, too. I've found lots of toothbrushes, but never dug a hair brush yet. ~Jim


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## tigue710 (Oct 14, 2007)

nice digs there Chris.  That sign is a very cool find.  Leaves me kicking myself in the butt though as a couple months ago I dug a turn of the century street sign that was in pretty good shape.  I left it with intent of returning but was caught in a thunderstorm and took a different way back to my truck.  I gotta go back to see if it is there.  Also dug a .38 snub nose that I left with it....  someone probably grabed the stuff by now....


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## lexdigger (Oct 14, 2007)

Thanks guys. Yeah, it was a fun dig. Tim does alot of metal detecting and might be able to get it cleaned up a little better for display. I think they'll get a kick out of it. It's actually a law firm now. Chris


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## GuntherHess (Oct 14, 2007)

Isnt that a stencil for painting thier name on crates or other items? Sure looks like the stencils that were common during the Civil War period.


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## tigue710 (Oct 14, 2007)

good point Matt, it sure does look like a stencil....


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## sunrunner (Oct 14, 2007)

thate is exactly what it is.


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## madman (Oct 14, 2007)

hey lex great finds man great pix!  love findin the local stuff mike


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## lexdigger (Oct 14, 2007)

Yeah, our first thought was a stencil. It has a place on the top where it looks like it was hung from something? Either way, it's a neat piece. It would be cool to dig something that was stenciled with the name on it. Chris


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## grime5 (Oct 14, 2007)

once again some killer bottles you got there.hope i can get out soon and dig something up. later greg


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## whitefish (Oct 15, 2007)

lexdigger-
 Nice finds!
 In regards to your Sanitarium Food Co. bottles. These held early health food beverages that were developed under the Battle Creek Sanitarium system in Battle Creek Michigan. This system was based on the health principles of the Seventh Day Adventist religion. You may recall Dr. Kellogg developed his cereal here to feed the patients of his sanitarium. This cereal of course went on to be Kelloggs Corn Flakes, and Kelloggs is to this day headquartered in Battle Creek.
 There was a number of copy cat products that tried to cash in by using names similar to that of the sanitariums products, this may explain the California bottles mentoned by beendiggin. Check out this link, and once again nice finds!

 http://books.google.com/books?id=GU0JAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA207&lpg=PA207&dq=the+sanitarium+food+company&source=web&ots=7AocokfCEM&sig=3HruR3HhjHwOS38ATZLcM4a2GEU#PPP1,M1


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## idigjars (Oct 15, 2007)

Very cool.  You found lots of neat stuff.  Have you dug the privies yet?


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## bigghouse (Oct 15, 2007)

i have never heard of a blob top cider before, i love the tooth brushes, one of many things i have not found yet.


 Anna


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## lexdigger (Oct 15, 2007)

Thanks. Hopefully we'll get some rain soon Greg! Thanks alot for the battle creek link! Lots of information there. We called em ciders because that's what they smelled like, but I really don't know What was in them. It will look good with the rest of my blob top beers though. The privies on this property have already been dug and they really didn't produce much quantity or quality. We couldn't believe the cistern had what it did in it! Can't wait to see what's in the bottom. Chris


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## myersdiggers1998 (Oct 15, 2007)

your mason looks like a 1974. aqua qt. 6to8$ pg. 256 of red book#9


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## lexdigger (Oct 15, 2007)

I'm pretty sure these were made around the toc. It's got a ground top and we dig them in dumps and privies all the time. Not worth much but better than the plain old 1858's. Chris


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## dollarbill (Oct 16, 2007)

Hey way to go Chris looks like a good dig to me . Nice to get the home state stuff uh. Cool fruit jar there to. Good luck diggen Chris. bill  p.s. Any time . I might have us a place or two to dig to.


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## lexdigger (Oct 16, 2007)

Thanks Bill. We'll be checking out that permission in Maysville sometime soon. I'll let you know when we're comming. If it ends up being a bust we may be able to try out one of your spots? 
 Here's a couple of more pics from the dig. These are the good brushes we got plus a bunch of brokens. 






 Here's just one of the many broken shards of china and various other dishware. This one has a hand painted front and is stamped in chinese on the back. Hopefully one of these beauties somehow survived.


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## appliedlips (Oct 16, 2007)

Those local toothbrushes are sweet.I have dug hundreds of bone toothbrushes but only one with a local pharmacy embossing.Those would have been my first pick.If you have an extra and want to trade,give me a hollar.Doug


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## lexdigger (Oct 16, 2007)

Thanks Doug. There were three of us digging and we got three perfect examples. One is slightly damaged and another was broken but glued back nice. Hopefully we'll get some more good ones with the writing on them. If so I'll get you one and a matching druggist to go with it. Chris


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## lexdigger (Oct 16, 2007)

Here was another neat find. The back was damaged but my friend did a little restoration to make it more displayable. It's marked in two spots and has a gold tip! 










 John Holland Cin. O. is an ink that we dig here in Ky. I thought this was a really neat go with and he did a good job at restoring it. Check out that gold!


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## madman (Oct 17, 2007)

hey lex those bone brushes and that pen r sweet, very nice! mike


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## lexdigger (Oct 17, 2007)

Thanks Mike. Hopefully there will be more to come Saturday! I'd like to get one of those pens myself. It would make a nice go with to my ink collection which includes a John Holland. I'm pretty sure we'll get more toothbrushes, there were a bunch in there broken. Chris


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## Trying not to break it (Oct 17, 2007)

hi chris,  really nice finds.  love the painted dish.  hope you find a whole one.   good luck,  rhona


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## lexdigger (Oct 18, 2007)

Thanks Anna. Yeah, I hope we get something like that. I'd take it in installments as long as it was all there! Here's the toothbrush along with the bottle from the same druggist. 





 Here's another neat find. An old condom tin! I guess that's why we didn't find any marbles or doll parts, huh? LOL


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## RICKJJ59W (Oct 18, 2007)

They had rubbers  back then? I bet them bad boys leaked lol


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## lexdigger (Oct 18, 2007)

Yeah Rick, believe it or not they've been around for quite a while. Some of the first condoms were made of animal skin or intestines. Around the 1840's they started making them out of rubber. I think the first latex condoms came out in the 1930's or so. I think the price is interesting. They were pretty expensive back then considering! Chris


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## GuntherHess (Oct 18, 2007)

When I was in England I remember seeing animal material condoms they found preserved when they excuvated the moat of a castle, 10th or 11th century I think.
 Castle life was tough.


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