I have found septic systems on two sites that are similar. They feature two shafts, though, with wasteware running directly into one with an overflow of clarified water running into the second type. i believe this typ of system dates to the first quarter of the twentieth century.

Pat Garrow
Cultural Resource Analysts
Knoxville TN


-----Original Message-----
>From: Jeanette Mckenna <[log in to unmask]>
>Sent: Aug 31, 2010 2:19 PM
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: Little Cistern
>
>Sounds like a "beehive" septic tank.
>
>Jeanette A. McKenna
>Whittier, CA
>
>> [Original Message]
>> From: Laswell, Jeffrey <[log in to unmask]>
>> To: <[log in to unmask]>
>> Date: 8/31/2010 11:11:51 AM
>> Subject: Little Cistern
>>
>> Hello All,
>>
>> During a road reconstruction project in Richmond, Indiana, we uncovered
>what appears to be a cistern approximately one and a half feet beneath the
>current roadway surface.  It is cylindrical in shape, constructed with
>brick and held together by mortar, but was absent of any additional lining.
>The top comes to a staggered brick dome with a two foot opening. A two inch
>galvanized pipe appears to run from the floor of the structure and out the
>top, continuing at least four feet away from the collar.  What is puzzling
>is the size, which is three feet in diameter and ten feet deep.  This would
>only hold 600 gallons at most, which would seem extremely small for a fire
>cistern.  If it were not beneath the historic roadway alignment of the
>National Road (US 40) and fifty feet from the nearest historic period house
>(based upon various 1880-1909 Sanborn and plat maps), I would guess that
>the structure was domestically related and possibly part of a larger water
>filtration system, based upon similar sized cisterns of the period.  The
>cistern will be preserved in place and as a result, excavation was not
>conducted, which may have addressed many of these questions.  I was curious
>if anyone had encountered a comparable type of cistern within an urban
>roadway context and could shed some light? Richmond's population in 1900
>was about 20,000.
>>
>> Thanks in advance for any thoughts...
>>
>>
>> Jeffrey Laswell
>> Archaeologist
>> INDOT Office of Environmental Services
>> 100 N. Senate Ave. IGCN - Room N642
>> Indianapolis, Indiana
>> 46204-2216
>> (317) 233-2093