Scott, Just think about what kind of MOTIVATION would have induced a late-19th-century person to throw-away several partially full bottles of liqour??? Perhaps a person who had undergone a religious/temperance/alcoholic conversion, and was "casting-out-the-demon rum?" Perhaps a thoroughly disgusted family-member/landlord/pastor. Perhaps a survivor fearing death from contagion of drinking from those bottles? In any case, intriguing questions for further research. Bob Skiles On 4/7/2015 12:39 PM, Bob Skiles wrote: > Scott, > > I think Bill certainly points-out an excellent possibility to explain > the presence of the mattress ... disposition of everything that had > come in contact with someone who had died by a contagious disease I > would think should be an avenue for further archival/historical research. > > Bob Skiles > > On 4/7/2015 12:31 PM, Bill Liebeknecht wrote: >> 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 >> [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]> >> WSDOT Cultural Resources >> Program<http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Environment/CulRes/default.htm> on >> the Web >> >> "Development is not stifled by history, but enriched by it." >> >