Scott,

In 1999 Hunter Research, Inc. excavated a couple of late 19th century
privies in Newark, New Jersey.  In one example there were many complete
items (such as bottles, drinking vessels and ceramics) including some
catholic religious items such as rosary beads, a complete glass cruet and a
glass crucifix candle holder (in an Irish neighborhood) suggesting someone
had died and in order to prevent the spread of a contagious disease, the
contents of the room, where the person passed away were disposed of in the
privy.  The privy was no longer needed as city water and sewer had recently
been connected.  

Bill Liebeknecht, M.A., RPA
Principal Investigator
Hunter Research, Inc.
Trenton, New Jersey

-----Original Message-----
From: HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of
Williams, Scott
Sent: Tuesday, April 07, 2015 12:37 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Privies and house abandonment/cleanout

We recently excavated a late 19th century privy that was
packed-literally-with artifacts. What is curious to me is the range of the
artifact types: besides the usual medicine bottles and broken bits of
pottery were whole liquor bottles (some half full), twelve shoes of
different sizes, at least one book, a metal pan, lots of metal cans, other
household goods such as condiment and perfume containers, and mattress
springs.  We're thinking the privy was filled after the house was vacated,
either due to the death of the resident or their eviction.  The material
doesn't look like it was deposited in the privy over a long period, as if
the privy was abandoned and then the hole was used for trash disposal over
time.

The privy is located in an area of packed glacial till, meaning that
excavating the privy shaft would have taken some effort and filling it with
trash while it was still in use seems counterintuitive (and assuming no one
stuffs a mattress into a privy they are still using).  A nearby privy of the
same age was more "typical", in that it was not packed full of artifacts and
had a much more limited range of materials in it.

Has anyone seen examples of privies that appear to have been purposefully
used for one large disposal event, such as clearing out a house that became
suddenly vacant? My experience excavating privies is limited.

Thanks,

Scott S. Williams
Cultural Resources Program Manager, WSDOT
Ph: 360.570.6651
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WSDOT Cultural Resources
Program<http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Environment/CulRes/default.htm> on the Web

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