# 10ft Dig and All By Yourself/What to do?



## GRIT (Aug 14, 2018)

Hi! New member here. I'm so thankful I have found a place like this. Seems I'm going to need help and or advice in the future. 

I live in East Texas. Lindale to be exact. I have some property my wife and I bought about 6 years ago. Seems the history goes quite a ways back from what we can find out about it. The town was founded in 1871, but the first settlers arrived around 1836. I think this holds true for our property, but can't be for certain.

This past summer I noticed a depression near the front entrance. I never though much about it. It had bricks piled in it. But what struck my interest was there were glass jars sticking out of the sand. Out of curiosity I started removing brick after brick and jars start popping up everywhere. It took a lot of effort to get most of the debris removed from the hole. There was a huge foundation footing? in the hole that I had to literally rolled out it was so heavy. 

But after getting most of the debris out of the hole, I started finding bottles. Jars, medicine bottles, ect. 

Fast forward a ways and now I am at around the 10-11ft mark with no end in sight. I have stuck my 4ft probe into the bottom and it still drops down easily. I cut some stairs leading into the hole, but there's still quite a drop; especially since I continue to dig. I can no longer throw the dirt up and out of the hole. It is just too deep.

I don't know what to do at this point. Any suggestions?

I found another area last years as well. Just off the driveway. Not knowing anything was there at the time, I used my skid steer to remove some brush that leads down into a gully. That's how I found them. Bottles started popping up everywhere. I only dug into the dirt around 2-3ft at most, but the return was quite good. 

Between the two dig sights, I have amassed around 400-500? estimated. There's old mixed in with newer bottles. Since I haven't reached the bottom of my deepest hole, I can't say how old these are going to get.

I think I have found a third sight, but have only pulled a few out of it. I don't think I have actually located the hole. Or maybe they were just thrown over there randomly. one of them was a Mrs. Stewarts Bluing bottle. Around 10-15 yrds from that is another possible sight. It has bricks stacked in a pile with brush and debris coving it. I haven't even got to it, yet.

Anyway, just thought I would introduce myself. Any ideas on how to dig this 10FT + hole without burying myself alive?


----------



## junkmansitch (Aug 14, 2018)

Sounds like you have some good spots to dig. I suggest when you start getting deeper than 4 feet have somebody with you for safety and use a 5 gal bucket and rope to haul dirt out of hole. Post some pics too, we love seeing action shots.


----------



## GRIT (Aug 14, 2018)

junkmansitch said:


> Sounds like you have some good spots to dig. I suggest when you start getting deeper than 4 feet have somebody with you for safety and use a 5 gal bucket and rope to haul dirt out of hole. Post some pics too, we love seeing action shots.



Thank you. Yes, I seem to have lucked out when it comes to bottles. I never even thought about digging for bottles when we moved here. I never even put settlers and bottles in the same sentence. I never even thought about the two and their correlation until I started finding glass.

I have some pics I took. I'm not real computer savvy, but I can try to post some. I know some of the photos aren't that great and lack detail or are just hard to see. 

I guess I'm past the 4ft safety mark. I never have known when to quit.  I just don't have many people that can come out and help me. I hate to ask my wife. When I go out, I'm out most of the day. 

The hole is about 7-8ft in diameter. I never have found any boarders, as of yet. I think these East Texans built them out of wood. And if that's the case, well, I don't guess there will be any boarders?

Thanks for the reply!


----------



## Robby Raccoon (Aug 14, 2018)

It's possible you've found a filled-in well (possibly one that they stopped digging upon finding no water) or some sort of natural depression in the ground that people began throwing stuff in.


----------



## GRIT (Aug 14, 2018)

Spirit Bear said:


> It's possible you've found a filled-in well (possibly one that they stopped digging upon finding no water) or some sort of natural depression in the ground that people began throwing stuff in.



Hi, Spirit Bear. I didn't think about that. I don't even think I have found the entire area. Seems the more I dig, the more I find myself digging into the wall. It gets wider as it gets deeper. I haven't figured out how that can happen. When I probe the wall above it, it's nothing but hard, solid clay.


----------



## Robby Raccoon (Aug 14, 2018)

Well, how about this one: in a near city, while construction was going on, it was discovered that an entire ravine had been filled in with trash from the mid-late 1800s. The ravine had been on maps, but, of course, no one today realised that because it had been filled to the top and covered over a century ago as it turned out to be an early city-dump! And now it's still underneath a new building-- never to be opened again, with bottles from the 1860s sitting down there intact. Imagine how much that annoys the local diggers. Hah hah.


----------



## hemihampton (Aug 14, 2018)

Sounds like a Well possibly, should be something for a wall though. Bricks or rocks or wood or something. I've seen big old wells here in Michigan from 1800's 6-8 feet wide but lined with rocks 
(pic below) I'd find a local bottle digger to help you. If I lived Closer I'd love to help you. Maybe put a Ad in here in Digging Partner section. Post some pics & good luck.


----------



## GRIT (Aug 14, 2018)

SB, it's funny you mention that little story. I have often thought about that and what a monumental task that would be to uncover. I remember checking a website once that had a list of old, forgotten dumps. My place wasn't on that list. But I also know dumps were around long before that list came to be. 

To my knowledge, there has been four owners of this property. The original land owner (which owned a lot more land than I sit on today). But my property lies at one of the corners of where his original property was located. Then there was another family after him, but don't know the years he lived here. After that family was the family we bought it from. As far as I can tell, the land has not changed. We're out here in the country. I know the Caddo were out in this area as early as the 1500s, I believe. My neighbor has told me he used to find arrowheads sitting atop the garden when he was a kid.


----------



## GRIT (Aug 14, 2018)

hemihampton said:


> Sounds like a Well possibly, should be something for a wall though. Bricks or rocks or wood or something. I've seen big old wells here in Michigan from 1800's 6-8 feet wide but lined with rocks View attachment 183963(pic below) I'd find a local bottle digger to help you. If I lived Closer I'd love to help you. Maybe put a Ad in here in Digging Partner section. Post some pics & good luck.



hemihampton, thanks for the pic. I wish I could find a boarder, but no such luck, yet.

How do you post pics on here using the forum software? I can usually figure it out, but not this time.


----------



## GRIT (Aug 14, 2018)

Ok, I think I have figured it out now. The pics aren't the greatest and they're pretty much all over the place because I took them on different days so it's not very organized.


----------



## GRIT (Aug 14, 2018)




----------



## GRIT (Aug 14, 2018)




----------



## GRIT (Aug 14, 2018)




----------



## GRIT (Aug 14, 2018)

That seventh pic is the area where the gully is. I actually dug more bottles from that area than I have gotten from the deep pit I'm still digging. I have dug out a lot more bottles since taking these pics. I have a good size box with more than a hundred small bottles. Hardly any of these bottles have been cleaned. I have a sample of what I have pulled in the house. Those are the only bottles I have cleaned. 

The big tree root in the pit I have since dug out. It was a pain getting out of there!

Try to remember that I am a beginner in all of this so please be patient with me!


----------



## GRIT (Aug 14, 2018)

I carried most of that dirt from the gully with the bottles in it up to where I'm digging the pit out. I still have bucket fulls of dirt that I need to go through. No telling how many more bottles are in those piles of dirt. I have piled up the leftover sand from the pit in another area. I need to go through that with a fine tooth comb.


----------



## junkmansitch (Aug 14, 2018)

That sure is alot of bottles. Based on the pics they look to be from the 1920s thru 1940s. I would say you have a mega dump site on your hands.


----------



## GRIT (Aug 15, 2018)

junkmansitch said:


> That sure is alot of bottles. Based on the pics they look to be from the 1920s thru 1940s. I would say you have a mega dump site on your hands.



I think you're spot on with the bottle dating. I may have a few that are a little older according to the bottle dating website, but that could be my inexperience or just plain wishful thinking. I'm hoping the deeper I get the older they'll get. It's just really slow going; especially the deeper I get.


----------



## nhpharm (Aug 15, 2018)

Any embossed sodas or pharmacy bottles?


----------



## GRIT (Aug 15, 2018)

nhpharm said:


> Any embossed sodas or pharmacy bottles?



Hi, nhpharm. Most of the embossed soda bottles I have found were broken. The ones that did survive are more than likely after 1900. I don't know enough about pharmacy bottles to know if I have any or not. Do you have some examples? I assume pharmacy bottles are not the same as medicine bottles?


----------



## hemihampton (Aug 15, 2018)

To me Pharmacy bottles, druggist bottles & Medicines bottles are all the same. I could be wrong though. Here's some examples I have. LEON.


----------



## hemihampton (Aug 15, 2018)

mORE EXAMPLES.


----------



## GRIT (Aug 15, 2018)

Leon, I think I may have a few that are not the ordinary Duraglas & Owens. They're mostly clear, smaller ones. I just don't know enough about them so I can't be for sure exactly what I have.


----------



## cool63truck (Aug 15, 2018)

I live in Canton and would love to help you dig and make sure you have a safety buddy. I collect embossed sodas but I love the thrill of the hunt. You have some interesting glass coming out of the holes


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## GRIT (Aug 15, 2018)

cool63truck said:


> I live in Canton and would love to help you dig and make sure you have a safety buddy. I collect embossed sodas but I love the thrill of the hunt. You have some interesting glass coming out of the holes
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



PM sent!


----------



## ACLbottles (Aug 15, 2018)

Very cool! I'm from Athens, not too far from Lindale. Good luck!


----------



## RCO (Aug 15, 2018)

i think you found a dump someone had hid in an old hole , they likely assumed it was a good place to toss stuff . although nothing in the pictures looks that old maybe 40's - 50's era but its possible older stuff is there but yet to be uncovered . 

I'd personally try and identify what is worth keeping and take the rest to glass recycling ( if there is recycling in your area )  as its never going to be worth anything


----------



## GRIT (Aug 15, 2018)

ACLbottles said:


> Very cool! I'm from Athens, not too far from Lindale. Good luck!



Happy to see another digger by us!


----------



## GRIT (Aug 15, 2018)

RCO said:


> i think you found a dump someone had hid in an old hole , they likely assumed it was a good place to toss stuff . although nothing in the pictures looks that old maybe 40's - 50's era but its possible older stuff is there but yet to be uncovered .
> 
> I'd personally try and identify what is worth keeping and take the rest to glass recycling ( if there is recycling in your area )  as its never going to be worth anything



Hi, RCO. Yeah, that's why I keep wanting to dig. I want to get down to the bottom and see what's there. I know I won't quit until I reach the bottom. If I come out good, that's great. If not, there's a few other places I can try out. It's all on my property so I don't have to go far. 

In the end, what I find or don't find really doesn't matter to me. I'm probably going to find out more about the people who lived here and the way they lived their lives than uncover a bottle to net me an x amount of dollars. I'm really more interested in the history than anything. And it keeps me moving and in decent shape. 

Thanks for chiming in!


----------



## hemihampton (Aug 15, 2018)

If you could find their Privy that will tell you a lot about who lived there & possibly much better much older bottles. Give it a try. Good Luck. LEON.


----------



## Saturn Doll (Aug 22, 2018)

Be Great to see those bottles , when washed they look very interesting!! Thanks for your Awesome story. You are very brave digging so deep. Good to let someone know your digging and show them where (like your wife) so she knows and can check all is Ok-and maybe arrange to ring at a couple of  very particular times-so she will know nothing is wrong.


----------



## rich (Aug 23, 2018)

Hey Grit, Be careful of engulfment, wall collapse.  If you are going to get serious, protect from rain and rain runoff.  Soil density plays an important role in wall slope v depth.  A tripod well wheel can aid in debris removal as well as rescue/retrieval if necessary, but must be robust.  The tripod will only be useful if you have help on site.  The bottles will wash up and look great after being dug up, we don't always fair as well.


----------



## GRIT (Aug 24, 2018)

Saturn Doll said:


> Be Great to see those bottles , when washed they look very interesting!! Thanks for your Awesome story. You are very brave digging so deep. Good to let someone know your digging and show them where (like your wife) so she knows and can check all is Ok-and maybe arrange to ring at a couple of  very particular times-so she will know nothing is wrong.



Thanks. I don't know if I'm brave or stupid, but I keep digging.

It's been really hot and humid here the past few days. I got out and dug earlier in the week, but think I over did it a bit. It's taken me a few days to recover. I usually don't get out in the heat, but I had noticed the walls had dropped a lot of material into the hole and I needed to get it out as it puts double the work on me when I get back in there. The good thing about that is, it widens the hole a bit more so gives me somewhat of a safety cushion. I'm guessing it's probably 6'+ in diameter.

I have noticed a layering in the soil. There's, maybe, 2 feet between layers of bottles. I'm fixing to have to dig another two feet out now before I find out what's in the next layer. I use my probe before digging each layer so can always tell there is more down there. 

I really hope I'm not wasting my time. I get a little jealous when I read the threads here that talk about finding really nice, older bottles just in a few feet. So my life goes. 

I have seriously thought about making my hole into a pond. I guess that depends on how much bigger it gets as time goes on. I hope in the end I have something interesting to show my fellow diggers.


----------



## GRIT (Aug 24, 2018)

rich said:


> Hey Grit, Be careful of engulfment, wall collapse.  If you are going to get serious, protect from rain and rain runoff.  Soil density plays an important role in wall slope v depth.  A tripod well wheel can aid in debris removal as well as rescue/retrieval if necessary, but must be robust.  The tripod will only be useful if you have help on site.  The bottles will wash up and look great after being dug up, we don't always fair as well.



Thanks, rich. I try to be cautious and am always aware. Never heard of a tripod well wheel. Will have to look into that. 

We have a lot sand here in East Texas. On higher elevations it can be quite deep, but varies depending on location. Once you get past the sand, the clay is quite dense and very hard. I think it quite stable when not interfered with. Interestingly, where the bottles are, the clay is crumbly and easy to dig into. That's a good thing. The walls LOOK to be stable, but I'm no expert. I just try to be careful and always alert to unusual sounds in the structure.


----------



## sunrunner (Aug 27, 2018)

looks like you found a common dump from the 1930s 40s . don't see any milks with the stuff your digging . and not many soda's .


----------



## GRIT (Apr 6, 2019)

Update: I didn't realize it had been so long since my last post. Sadly, I never really made much more progress into my dig. The hole just got too deep and tossing shovels of sand out of a 12 foot hole is tiresome to say the least. I just got worn out. So that hole sits for now and slowly fills until I decide what to do next.

This past couple of months has had me in and out of doctors offices and testing facilities for some health issues, but things are going better for me and I should be back digging real soon.

But there is some good news. I found what looks to be another dump just behind our pole barn. I never noticed it before, but don't ever recall really looking closely in the area. Or I just plain missed it. I probed the area with my, not so professional probe, and it looks to be about 6' ? in diameter. What really got me excited was another dump right next to it! So now I'm thinking, "It would be nice if I finally found a privy", but will have to wait and see. I hear and feel glass on the probe. No visible signs of glass on top; only old metal cans, rusted to the point of crumbling when stepped on. I DID find another Mrs Stewart's Bluing bottle on top of the ground. So that is a good sign. I had found another one down the hill a ways in a small gully I was digging, but never really got much out of it besides the bluing bottle and a couple of other broken bottles. 

So anyway just wanted to give an update for my digging friends on how things were coming along and that I haven't forgotten about you guys.


----------



## hemihampton (Apr 6, 2019)

Welcome back. Let me know if you find any old Beer Cans. There is one rare Texas Can I'm looking for in Particular. LEON.


----------



## GRIT (Apr 7, 2019)

hemihampton said:


> Welcome back. Let me know if you find any old Beer Cans. There is one rare Texas Can I'm looking for in Particular. LEON.



Hi, Leon. I have dug up some modern beer cans, but nothing old, as of yet. Maybe I'll find something in this new spot I found. And I still have, yet, to dig out a very deep gully with lots of trash in it. I don't even know where to start there..

Good talking to you again and I'll let you know if I run across anything interesting.


----------



## hemihampton (Apr 7, 2019)

If you got a deep gully or Ravine to dig, start at the bottom & work your way up. That way your not throwing rejected dug threw trash over un dug virgin spots that need digging. Good Luck. LEON.


----------



## GRIT (Apr 7, 2019)

Good tip. Thanks.


----------



## Bobby algar (Apr 10, 2019)

Good luck digging 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------

