Alex,
It looks like a rather typical water storage cistern; rainwater from roofs
was collected by guttering and downspouts and piped into the underground
tank. The bottom is likely bricked, but probably about 1.5-2m deeper than
you reached. They are common in areas of the country not blessed with
shallow and potable ground water (in a swath of country with a dearth of
wells there is usually a surfeit of cisterns).
Best regards,
Bob Skiles
--------------------------------------------------
From: "Alexander Keim" <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, November 16, 2010 10:26 PM
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Help identifying a 19th C. subsurface feature, a dry well?
> Hello! My name is Alex Keim, a PhD candidate in Historical Archaeology at
> Boston University, and I am hoping someone can help me identify a
> architectural feature I encountered while doing a on-site consultation in
> Lynn, MA. A link to photos is at the bottom of this message. The feature
> is located in the rear lot of a townhouse constructed in 1871. The feature
> in question is the remainder of a previously partially demolished brick
> dome or vault, about 1 meter below current surface level. Based on
> photographs (see link) of a very similar feature uncovered by construction
> crews about 30 meters away (but reburied before I could see it firsthand)
> I believe the feature was originally a dome with a circular opening at the
> top. This intact feature also had metal piping entering the dome near the
> base, but the partial feature I encountered had no surviving piping. The
> dome is roughly a meter from top to base, and the intact portion I saw was
> about 2 meters in diameter. The feature is
> constructed of bricks and mortar. It is set on a large circular pit, full
> of cobble sized rubble and rip-rap. I partially excavated the soil fill
> above the rubble and determined that it dates to after the feature's
> demolition, and I removed a portion of the rubble fill to try to determine
> the depth of the hole, but I encountered no sign of a bottom after 70 cm.
> I am thinking that this is some kind of dry well, or possibly a
> cesspool (but there were no cessy conditions or residue on the interior),
> but I have never dug something like this before and would welcome
> confirmation or other interpretations. If anyone has encountered a similar
> feature I would greatly appreciate some feedback. Following is a link to a
> webpage that should give you access to some photographs of the intact
> feature I did not see firsthand, and the partial feature I worked on.
> Thanks for your time!
>
> Sincerely,
> Alex
>
> http://img72.imageshack.us/i/intactbrickvaultfeature.jpg/
> http://img512.imageshack.us/i/afterpartialremovalofru.jpg/
> http://img204.imageshack.us/i/detailoffillremoval.jpg/
> http://img217.imageshack.us/i/featureafterexcavationb.jpg/
> http://img594.imageshack.us/i/featureafterexcavationb.jpg/
> http://img143.imageshack.us/i/featureafterexcavationb.jpg/
> http://img138.imageshack.us/i/intactbrickvaultfeature.jpg/
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