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