Gotham City Salvage Digs

Good news. Veteran historical digger Daniel McGee, a resident of New York City and core to the Manhattan Well Diggers has handcrafted another adventure filled digging story and graciously donated pictures and text to Dumpdiggers for your reading enjoyment.  Like always, the story begins with a way cool shot of NYC and here again is the new World Trade Center nearing completion. Now without further delay, lets tunnel back in time 150 years...

Gotham City Salvage I, II, III

by Daniel McGee

While out drumming up some digs, we noticed an entire section of a city block being demolished. The old maps showed this area had been laid out around 1780, and this was one of the original cobblestone streets! These old house-lots have lots of potential for subterranean discoveries in their long buried, long forgotten, elusive backyard privies. This location was densely populated and lined with buildings by the 1820s-30s, including a sizable schoolhouse by the 1840s, which is a key period in bottle manufacturing history.  Recently all the buildings had been knocked down and the bare earth exposed. This sight inspired several more recon trips.

On our next journey to the site we observed all the telltale signs of a disturbed privy. The evidence was there on the surface, including a large piece of an early banded bowl with a worm /cable pattern and a redware fragment with black splotching alongside it, a few dark blue transferware shards and some recently unearthed oyster shells resting beside desiccated food bones, all with night soil and ashes stuck to them.  Without any doubts, we knew at least one old vault had been penetrated by the heavy machinery processing the site.  In any case, we had to mobilize quickly.     

At the edge of a broken sidewalk scoping out the terrain, trackhoes were filling 30 ton dump trucks with weighty buckets of brick-rubble, dirt and debris.  Around noon the booms were resting and the engines idled down to a barely audible thrum. The trucks were tarped and gone, and the trackhoe operators off on a long break.  It was time to head back over to the edge of the site, and have another look around for the original lot lines.  This is usually a good place to search for evidence of privies and trash pits.  Even more so that day, since the spot had recently been scraped down 3 feet by a large machine.  This condition left certain features exposed which hadn’t seen the light of day in 150 years.

We began by shoveling alongside what appeared to be the remains of a freestanding redbrick wall. Brick by brick a second wall was outlined and then a third.  Without a doubt it was some kind of underground chamber.  We grew more excited as we found wood ashes, and three moldy leather shoe bottoms, a clay pipe with a bit of stem left on it dating to the late 19th century, a mouth-blown bottleneck here and there, and a bone or ivory toothbrush handle.

Doing all this digging and discovering took some time, as you can imagine, and we soon observed the guys in charge rounding the corner, returning from their lunch. They were visible working some distance away, and although their machines were running at full throttle again, they never drifted back over to our deepening hole.

Descending into the bricklined privy-vault, we soon encountered a wide array of dirt encrusted antique glass bottles from the 1880s-1890s. At one point really pretty bottles were being discovered one after another.  The recovered specimens were perhaps not the very pinnacle of bottle collecting, but all were handmade examples of the art and sufficiently motivating for us diggers, with plenty more ground left under our feet to explore.

After identifying all four walls of the 5’x 6’structure and cleaning the dirt away, the dig went on for a few more hours until reaching the hardpan base. As we dug down we encountered several layers of bottles and artifacts, and some of the best ones at the bottom had been manufactured as early as the 1850s.

In conclusion we had recovered about sixty intact antique glass bottles ranging from 1850s-1890s.  An assortment of mostly generic pontils, two Civil War era sodas, a half dozen crude early black-ales, several smooth-based medicines, a handful of local pharmacies, hutches, whiskeys, and others were arranged for the picture.  We packed up the best ones and backfilled the hole.

But this digging story doesn't end here,

Despite the major excavation being done on the site, we knew it was still possible a few more privies were concealed here. On our next visit we learned that a twelve story building with a large underground parking garage was being developed on the property, which guaranteed everything had to be removed before construction could begin.   Most of the original land had already been dug up and trucked away by the contractor, and the one slice which remained still had a 3 foot ledge covering it, including a layer of concrete with an asphalt cap. Amid the densely packed rubble at the border of the ledge we dug test holes to settle the matter as productively as possible before nightfall.  This was Dig II.

This dig was hard work.
Sharply contrasting the general ease of our first excavation, this area was a bitch. It wasn’t until after I dug deep and descending up to my neck into one of our narrow test holes that I found some encouraging evidence. On the end of my shovel I could see early transfer fragments. First one, and then another, and then other recognizable shapes began to appear. An early discovery was the forest green glass soda Philadelphia “XXX” Porter bottle and then a similar example in a much lighter shade.  Despite numerous setbacks, which I wont describe here, we eventually discovered a seam of bottles and chased the goody vein into dense pocket of broken pottery and glass, lying snugly within a promising bed of night soil.

An intact ovoid crock with a local maker’s mark was eventually extracted from its formidable resting spot. This is an important example of the Potters' art, which was probably made down at Raritan Bay, somewhere around 1825-1835.  The privy also contained 25 intact bottles, half of them pontiled and half of them smooth based, half embossed and half blanks.

The oldest artifacts at the bottom of the second privy dated to about 1830. We had uncovered a pocket of good history here that included a colorful mixture of decimated tableware from nearly two centuries ago, all wedged between brick-bats, stones, oyster shells, wet dirt and damp ashes, but no intact antique glass bottles were found. There were no significant discoveries of any kind, which is, in my experience, quite typical when digging with pre-1850s privies.

However the best things come to those who dig, and dig, and keep digging.

The following week, Dig III in another early brickliner produced the best bottle yet, an iron pontiled soda, in sapphire, from the 1850s!  This rare variant was discovered in a layer with 4 broken examples and a deep green soda from the same period missing its lip, along with a smooth based soda, an umbrella ink and a number of other intact bottles.    

By our estimation there are probably 2-3 privies still waiting under the concrete at the far end of the site… we’ll keep you posted as things unfold.

Dan

www.TheManhattanWellDiggers.com

Paul Huntley Schools the Four Seasons Bottle Collectors on City Dairy Toronto

Paul Huntley proudly holds his new book, City Dairy Toronto on 21 Jan 2012 after speaking to a particularly passionate group of Toronto bottle collectors.

If you're not a bottle collector, and you don't have a 'collecting bug' of any kind, then you probably wouldn't appreciate how satisfying it is to sit and listen to somebody show off their obsession. To study something, anything for twenty years and then write a book is a lifetime accomplishment - and to speak with knowledge and authority about something they know so well, is the treasure of wisdom. Paul Huntley spoke soft words but with great authority as he held up century old milks alongside photos of the original dairies that filled them, and the horse drawn wagons that distributed them. On the 21st of January 2012, Mr Huntley put on a lovely presentation of Canadian dairy lore that was soaked up by an enlightened audience of at least twenty four people, members of the Four Seasons Bottle Collectors (FSBC) club in Toronto Ontario Canada.

The monthly FSBC meeting, the first I’ve attended in three months (I missed Terry Matz talking about his torpedo bottles before Xmas), was at their usual meeting place in the Arbor Heights Community Center in Toronto, which is on Avenue Rd at Wilson Blvd just south of the hwy 401 interchange. Follow the FSBC link above for more information on the club meetings (and then come out to one!). You know what to expect, there’s rare knowledge on display here.

Whenever I do get time to visit these folks, I'm usually the first one there. But this time I was late. Unfortunately I'd taken a nap and had slept until six pm. So I threw on my pants and rushed out the door, checking my email in the car I saw the meeting was scheduled to start at six fifteen.  As I drove up the DVP, I wondered if I should have just stayed home.. Boy am I glad I didn’t! When I pulled into the parking lot to my surprise I discovered it was full of cars. There must be another event happening inside, I reckoned. But no.. To my shock I saw the meeting room was absolutely packed.

When I walked in the door I noticed it was quiet as and everyone was listening intently to the speaker  I’d never seen so many members and many new faces crowded around the tables to hear the shy softly spoken words of Paul Huntley, a historian and Toronto City Dairy archivist. Paul is a published author and I bought his book. He was showcasing some of the highlights from City Dairy Toronto alongside the actual bottles and photographs that have been reproduced inside.

Paul Huntley must have enjoyed speaking to this assembly of passionate people, Canadian bottle collectors, veteran dumpdiggers; they're a small and tightly focused sub culture that's obsessed with all things made of antique glass and salt glazed stoneware. Here's a crowd that eagerly laps up this respected historian's words and chuckles at his inside jokes, because they truly understand his references to people and places and practices long since forgotten by the rest of society.

The book is filled with rare black and white photos showing the rise of City Dairy Toronto.
In 1903 the City Dairy had just 3% of the Toronto market and by 1915 it dominated over 40% of the market. At one point there were eight six wagons serving 25,000 homes. From its early beginnings through to its acquisition by Bordens in 1930, the City Dairy maintained its distinction of serving more homes than any other dairy in the British Empire.

You know, I can’t help wondering about all the cows - this was surely a great age for Canadian farmers as the City of Toronto would have provided a wonderful large market for their milk, grain and vegetables. I could imagine how lucrative it might be to sell fresh milk to the city everyday. But it would also be very laborious. In those days milk production was done completely by hand, and so the family farm really couldn’t manage more than twenty five milking cows at once, milking them twice a day. Paul's book details the Massey Farms and the experimental farm as it outlines the early 1900s milk supply chain for Toronto.

City Dairy Toronto
A Yellow Wagon on Every Street

The Table of Contents
Milk Supply for the Citizens of Toronto
Walter Edward Hart Massey
Dentonia Park Experimental Farm
The Milk Commission
A Modern Production Facility
A Scientific Approach to Milk Production
Maintaining A Clean Milk Supply
The First Milk Delivery
The Milk Supply of Toronto
The Most Advanced Plant in Canada
City Dairy Leadership After Massey
Advertising of Fairy Tales
Participation at Exhibitions
A Towering Accomplishment
Milk Delivery
Milk Delivery from Horse Drawn
Ice Cream Creations
Plant Expansion
Kensington Dairy
S Price and Sons Purchase
Milk Pasteurization
Swiss Kephyr Milk
Island Delivery
Drimilk Powdered Milk
Vetcraft
City Dairy Farms New Lowell
The Dairy Herd
Record of Employees in the Great War
Division of Bordens
Golden Crest Years
Melorol Ice Cream
Milk Fit for A King and Queen
Toronto Milk Foundation
Life as an Educational Institution

WHAT I HEARD AT THE MEETING

Just as I sat down and opened my notebook I heard the words ‘Thistletown dairy’ (I was reduced to writing on top of my sore leg as there was no more room at the table).  And beside that word I dashed the location Humber River / Albion and Islington. I dont know why I'm writing this here  I have no context for it. Perhaps I thought it might be an adventure destination - to find the Thistletown Dairy. Indeed that does have a ring to it.

Some dairy dates I didn't know
1889 Capseat Indents in the mouth of a milk bottle were introduced into the Toronto market. This innovation in milk bottle production allowed cardboard caps to sit properly and better seal the glass lip of the bottle.

1915 Pasteurization became mandatory in Toronto – The city passed a municipal bylaw mandating that all dairies sell only pasteurized milk – as a result many Toronto dairies close their doors
1937 The Province of Ontario made all dairies sell pasteurized milk.

By 1929, two large dairies had taken over Toronto and most of the surrounding towns. These were Silverwoods, which was operating in the east end of the city, and Bordens which had locked up the west and was expanding south around the lake.

More things I learned from Paul Huntley,

Silkscreen milk bottles are often called ACL meaning Applied Colour Labels and the really early ones date form 1937 and 1938 . Applied colour labels were gaining popularity .re and some very collectible early ACL milk bottles are decorated with scenes from the Royal Visit to Toronto in 1939. Are there any such bottles made by City Dairy - I suspect there must be otherwise why would he bring it up? But I didnt see any.

ACL City Dairy milk bottles changed in appearance again in 1939 with the dawn of World War II. Some Applied Colour Labels (ACL) carried scenes of ships, tanks, planes and little boys watching them.? no pics

Soon after that, the Milk Foundation was created to help sell milk. This must have been similar to the milk marketing board we have today - they used a collective fund to help advertise milk's health benefits. Look below at an early advertisement for pasteurized ice cream that's 'pure' and wont spread tuberculosis.

I learned that square milk bottles were introduced after the war alongside the rise of refrigerator technology. the small square shapes were better for shipping handling and they fit inside cramped refrigerator iceboxes better. I made a note of the fact that Paul believes the grey horse was especially sought after by milkmen for early morning milk delivery routes - the grey horse shows up in the dim morning light better, and is therefore safer. Tin tops were not usually found on milk bottles outside the United States. Little tidbits

Were amber bottles used exclusively for Buttermilk?  Sean Murphy asked, and Paul Huntley answered yes to that question. The most quintessential examples of these amber ‘buttermilk’ bottles dates from between 1900 – 1910 .

Paul's next appearance is at the East York Historical Society on Feb 15th. Here he will be speaking on City Dairy and Dentonia Dairy as many folks in the society have shown interest in that topic. Paul told me that he always hopes he will meet some people that can relate there own personal stories and memories of the dairy. Wednesday February 15 2012 at  2:00 PM

 image added courtesy of Early Canadian Bottle Works (ECBW), Paul Huntley Collection

Dont miss Paul Huntley speaking at

East York Historical Society

Show and Tell Discussion

The History of the City Dairy of Toronto
Speaker Paul Huntley will discuss the history of the City Dairy from its creation including the Massey Farm known as Dentonia. He will also bring some dairy memorabilia and copies of his new publication on the City Dairy. Bring any questions, photos, maps, memorabilia or information you would like to share and take part in the discussion.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012 at 2 pm
At S. Walter Stewart Library
170 Memorial Park Avenue at Durant
Sponsored by the East York Historical Society and
The Toronto Public Library, S. Walter Stewart Branch
Free admission

Four Seasons Bottle Collectors Meeting

The second half of the meeting was business as usual. There's lots of planning and preparation being made for the annual FSBC Show and Sale in April - this time there is a new location . And there was talk of having a party on Saturday night for the dealers to swap stories and trade bottles and

for the

Carl Parsons had some wonderful 'cures' or early wacky patent medicine bottles in front of him on the table. I snapped some shots of them as he was making change for my raffle tickets - the monthly FSBC random draw is an exciting event and a staple in the experience of vsiting the club meetings. Carl always talks up the quality of the bottle being raffled (its a secret) but I find they are never as good as the ones he has on display in front of his notebook at the table.  Look below at the amber 'East India Cure' and the queer yellow glass Extract of Smart Weed.

Sean Murphy: Show and Tell 

The best part of the bottle club meetings is hearing each member talk intelligently and usually very passionately about a piece of pottery or a glass bottle they have recently discovered, or treasured for some time. There is a theme for each meeting's show and tell and its fun to see the variations on that theme as presented by each collector operating inside their own particular niche.

Before Sean spoke there were three other collectors who presented their materials but being shy they would no doubt prefer not be chronicled here. Sean is however no stranger to my blog salutations.
And that's a good thing because Sean Murphy is a constant fountain of great material and encouragement to the rest of the members. His show and tell displays are consistently remarkable.

On the 21 Jan meeting Sean showcased a wide variety of glass paperweights set around a smattering of other rare and impressive objects including beautiful redware pottery and a lovely jug stenciled ...

Here's a Whitby jug

I will ask Sean to provide more information here

Rare Early American Pottery an Embarrassment to Israel Seymour, and Henry Churchill of Gloversville

A significant piece of American history found and acquired on eBay.

A veteran dumpdigger and all around wheeler dealer friend of ours wrote us a funny and informative holiday message telling us about early American pottery, and the treasures that sometimes appear on eBay. According to my pal, its possible to scour online auctions and acquire museum quality pottery, sculpture and fine art without paying anything close to a dealer’s prices or even what it’s worth – for a variety of reasons.

Knowledge, which comes from taking the time to do the research is key to prosperity in this line of work. By simply knowing a little more than the average buyer, my friend was able to score a really wonderful piece of early American pottery, and what’s even better – it’s a rare mistake.

This salt-glazed stoneware jug was made by Israel Seymour in Troy, New York who made pottery between 1824 and 1850 in that area. It features a floral and feather design, the maker’s stamp is above an incised bird perched on a leaf with a small bird on its back. Like designs on many stoneware vessels made in New York in the early 19th century, the bird motif is done in cobalt, a metal oxide that does not lose its color in the heat of the kiln. This is a form of decoration long used in Central Europe.

The New York potters used cobalt imported from Europe, which was expensive, but only a little was needed to produce the characteristic strong blue colour. The motifs inscribed or painted on the surface have their origins in the European stoneware tradition, but American potters developed their own repertoire of designs that referred to their New World context; highly prized are patriotic subjects of the American eagle with the flag and arrows, and naval scenes depicting the War of 1812. Common subjects are birds, including recognizable species like pigeons, doves, peahens, sandpipers, and chickens, as well as others that are entirely fanciful.

I. Seymour of Troy NY made a mistake when he was stamping this ovid jug. He wrote Cloversville NY which was wrong – there never was a Cloversville, but there was certainly a Churchill &Co from Gloversville. That man, and his dry goods firm, was a pillar in the community, and we found a lot of great information on him. So Mr. Seymour also misspelled his client's name. This potter had no attention to detail.

Churchill & Co Gloversville 2 Gallon Stoneware Jug was made by Israel Seymour of Troy New York in about 1829.  This jug was a special order from Henry Churchill for possibly celebrating the opening of the Post Office or for the naming of the village of Gloversville Ny. in 1929.  Henry Churchill must have been very disappointed when he received the Stoneware jugs that he purchased from Israel Seymour. Not only is his name misspelled, the jugs read "Churchell & Co - Clovers ville ". Many potters in North America could not read or spell. There are many examples of misspelled stoneware jugs and crocks found to date, and this one is a beauty.

Henry Churchill, son of Jesse and Catherine (Smith) Churchill, was born in Middletown, Connecticut, February 17, 1807, died September 3, 1868. Early in life he came with his parents to Broadalbin, Fulton county, New York. He was educated in the public schools. and at an early age was thrown upon his own resources, developing into a strong, self-reliant man. From his twelfth to his twentieth year he was engaged in mechanical employment and mercantile life. For several years he was clerk in a store in Albany, where he acquired a thorough knowledge of merchandising methods and principles. He then relocated to Gloversville, New York, where he opened a store and prospered. For several years Churchill's store was the only one in Gloversville; he was the first postmaster of Gloversville. In the year of financial disaster, 1840, by the unexpected and heavy failures of those to whom he had entrusted his means, he lost everything he had accumulated in his years of prosperity. He had, however, the confidence of his fellow townsmen and large advances were made to him which enabled him to again start in business. In a short time he had paid off all his indebtedness and was firmly established in a large and prosperous business. From this point his career was one of unbroken success. He bought a large tract of land then near but later in the very heart of Gloversville and almost entirely covered with buildings. It extended from what is now Pine street to the "Fork in the road," and in 1851 this was all planted in corn. When he had completed the plans for such a residence as he desired, he sent men into the woods, who cut the lumber required. In the middle of his growing cornfield (now South Main street, and the center of Gloversville) he began his foundations, proceeded with the erection of his house, into which he moved in 1860. The first meeting preliminary to the organization of the Fulton County Bank was held in this house and was attended by the McLarens, Judsons, Messrs. McNab, Wells, Carson and others, well-known citizens. When the organization was completed, Henry Churchill was elected its first president. He was also president of the board of trustees of Gloversville Seminary, and an efficient promoter of the interests of his village

Here's the 1827 price list that Henry Churchill might have perused before ordering the stoneware jugs.


Between 1820 - 1850 many pottery shops sprang up along the Hudson River and along the New York State canal system making vessels of various shapes and sizes for the ships and shipping. During kiln firing, salt was applied to vessels that combined with clay silica to create a smooth, lustrous finish. Chocolate brown Albany Slip, named for where the clay was mined, was used to coat the insides of vessels. To identify or decorate the vessel, a painter applied a metallic oxide clay slip that turned a rich blue when fired. Sometimes manganese that turned purplish-brown was used. Simple identification included the makers’ mark and the vessel’s capacity. The New York History blog posted Dec 22 detailed donations to their State Museum from Adam Weitsman, along with photos including this piece showing a canal barge.  

Salt glazed stoneware was vitally important to the development of New York State and its central role in western expansion of the country via the Hudson River, the Erie Canal and its network of feeder canals, and through the Great Lakes to the western river systems. Stoneware vessels were in high demand for storage and preservation of drinking water, milk, butter, eggs, beer, ale, whisky, pickles and salted meat. Clay deposits ideal for making stoneware were found in what is now South Amboy, New Jersey, lower Manhattan and eastern Long Island. As a result, New York State became a large stoneware producer.

Back in around 1829 the nearest pottery co. to Gloversville was in Troy NY. and that was about 50 miles away. After checking the potters of Troy NY, we found that I. Seymour's pottery number ( 2 ) stamp on his jugs was the same on all the 2 gallon jugs he produced. All potters had their own pottery stamp made with their name on it. It was basically a wood block with a handle and metal type face attached to the block. This was perhaps a rare attempt at making advertising for someone else on an order of stoneware jugs. And it went horribly wrong. This certainly could not have been a great transaction between Henry Churchill and Israel Seymour. It must have been an embarrassment to both great men.

Digging Long Forgotten Outhouse Privies in Manhattan NYC

As keeper of the Dumpdiggers Blog I get a lot of wonderful emails, photos and cries for help from readers. People ask me to appraise the things, give proper names of things, and contact info, or they write long accounts of historic digs but fail to send any pictures. I will publish anything, but there has to be pictures... 

One such writer, a veteran Dumpdigger living in New York City named Daniel McGee always sends great pictures and text, and is a regular contributor. He writes about his own adventures with his gang as they research and dig up pioneer privies on abandon or otherwise transitional properties in Manhattan. Its fascinating stuff. Dan has style too - he usually leads with a wide shot of the area, and this time, its a picture of Manhattan! Here's the new World Trade Center being erected in the center of town.

Dan McGee and his crew specialize in finding broken buildings and exploring their backyards. They dig test pits and only sink shafts when they strike bottles. They liberate history from holes in the ground just days before the backhoes and bulldozers appear to demolish structures and excavate the earth, and take everything away. 

Dan writes (his words until END),

El Monstro De Gotham

SALVAGING AN ENORMOUS URBAN VAULT, TEN FEET WIDE & SEVEN FEET ACROSS
C. 1840. DSMcGee   www.TheManhattanWellDiggers.com

'El Monstro De Gotham' is Spanish for 'The Monster Of Gotham'.  The privy-well is among the largest ever encountered here in NYC, i.e., Gotham (however it wasn't exactly deep at only 7-8 feet but I may have covered that in the other notes). 

The property we were digging on will soon be redeveloped...which is the main reason we were able to go in and salvage what we could, before they remove the old well and its contents.  The point is, nearly all the digs we undertake are unpaid 'salvage operations', in the sense that the areas have/or will-soon-be totally altered/ destroyed by necessary developments.  As such, we consider our 20+ years of volunteer digging and investigating activities, including documentation via photography, article writing, bottle and artifact retrieval and processing, etc., to be an integral part of the Historical Digging record nationwide; and perhaps even further afield in some cases.

The site is part of a row of old buildings, circa 1840.  The privy-well (the old outhouse vault, chamber, etc.) was uncharacteristically made of freestanding redbrick; they're usually constructed of freestanding field-stone in the New York Metropolitan region; in that sense it was somewhat similar to a rainwater cistern when awe first opened it up at had a look.

To make a long story short, the way in which I became aware of the potential dig was this: After getting off the subway with my gear and swiftly heading to a particular spot on a construction site where I knew the owner would probably allow me to probe and test dig that afternoon...A faint voice (or instinctual urge, intuition or whatever) goaded me to walk down a certain street a couple blocks away, so I did.  Several blocks later I forgot all about the 'voice', and, that's when two women began shouting 'Hey, Hey'.  It was cold and they had their hoods up so I didn't recognize them as I briefly turned back to see who it was.  I naturally assumed they were mistaking me for someone else.  Then, from about a 100 feet away down a side-street I heard my first name called out...how odd the guy they were looking for had same name as me (I still didn't recognize them due to the distance between us).  Then, something to the effect of 'we'd recognize that probe anywhere...!'

After all it is fairly unique in appearance, particularly when being taken up and down the streets and avenues, not too mention the often overcrowded and bustling subways of New York.  Again, long story short, some good friends of theirs had been holding up their property renovation until the back corner spot could be investigated; they'd had us in mind all along but the actual connection wasn't made until right at that moment.

On this historical dig, the massive 'double privy' (privy well, privy chamber, or privy vault), turned out to be the largest we've encountered so far here in the New York Metropolitan area.  Measuring over 10 feet wide (!) and 7 feet across, thankfully it was only between 7-8 feet deep.

For the record, had it been the customary 10-15 feet deep, the logistical problems we encountered would not have allowed many of the bottles and assorted artifacts to be safely salvaged, or for the operation to be completed entirely.

For instance, on the second day our skeleton crew had to bail many gallons of water which were continuously seeping into the active layer and rendering successful extractions of bottles and artifacts nearly impossible the entire time; not too mention doubling the workload for the duration of the excavation. 

*There is no doubt that this very large vault was used by two adjoining townhouses, which were built around 1840 or so.  In fact it's outer circumference extended 6 feet into what would have been the neighbors yard back in the mid 19th century.

Also, like most others we've investigated on historical digs over the last 2 decades, the privy-well had been dipped (thoroughly cleaned out, or prohibitively disturbed as the 'ARKO's' are fond of saying) to about only a foot or so from base level, most likely right around the time modern plumbing was installed at the residence. Despite this very common scenario, i.e., the stark reality that the first 6 feet or so of dirt we bucketed out was merely sterile back-fill material, essentially devoid of bottles and artifacts, we made many interesting antique bottle discoveries down near the floor of the vault.


Here are two umbrella style inkwells, emerald green and aqua, circa 1850-1855.


HARRISON’S / COLOMBIAN / INK, circa 1855.

We found a few rare early Patent Medicines including,
"Hastings Compound Syrup of Naptha" circa 1855-1860. This aromatic substance was invented in London in 1848 by Dr. Hastings who promoted his formula as 'The great Remedy for Consumption, Asthma, Spitting of Blood, Night Sweats, Husky Throat, Wasting of the Flesh, Coughs, Colds and all Diseases of the Chest and Lungs. Contemporary newspapers ads claimed that Hastings’ compound was being used in the hospitals and among the best physicians."

Cobalt blue, eight paneled teakettle ink, circa 1875. This is gorgeous and in great condition.

There were four of us involved with the historical dig at various times throughout the three days of investigation, myself, Mya, JJ Galione, and "Celtic Willy" from Sligo town.

As is nearly always the case we were incredibly busy during the entire salvage excavation...we never had a chance to get decent pics of the last 2 helpers or to take many good dig shots for that matter.  In fact the best examples are the ones you see here and on the Facebook Page.

BRANT'S INDIAN BALSAM, circa 1855. The second pic to the left shows bottom, displays its pontiled base.

To the right are an assortment of bone and ivory toothbrush handles, circa 1850s-1870s.

In summary, there were many smooth base examples ranging from 1885-1865, there were over 30 pontiled examples, a half dozen tobacco pipes, an equal number of bone or ivory toothbrushes, and a bunch of ceramic and pottery fragments. The latter, along with a bunch of earlier bottles and so on, were trampled upon, decimated that is, as is almost always the case on these historical digs, while the dippers went about their lowly, odoriferous task of cleaning out the reeking night soil deposits back in the late 19th century.

Despite their heavy footwork and vigorous shoveling as they went about the grimy process of acquiring waste-generated fertilizer, over 75 intact bottles, some manufactured as early as the 1840s, were reclaimed from the shadowy environs down below.