Bottle digging question

[Doug in SJ]

I just moved into a house built in 1910. Is there a chance there could be bottles buried in the backyard or did they have street trash pick up by 1910?

[sjbrian]

i think so. warren has a bottle probe, maybe he can help you out.

[OT]

I think you have a real good chance of an out house or two on the property. Someone on the forum might have a Sanborn Insurance map of your area. What's nice about the Sanborn maps is that they even indicate where all the out buildings were located (including the outhouses.) Then you take the bottle probe and start probing those approximate area's until you hear the clink of glass. Good luck!

OT

[GaryC/SanBdno]

Doug in SJ, Hey Doug, I remember burying trash in my backyard when in 1954 when I was seven. I don't think what I buried is quite collectible yet. Wait a minute, 49years, I guess it might be.

OT makes it sound pretty easy finding those privies. I remember spending hundreds of hours probing, listening and feeling for that glass sound.

1910, Ya, you should be getting decent stuff there. GaryC/SanBdno

[Doug in SJ]

Thanks for the info everyone. I checked out the sanborn maps and the house actually appeared on the 1891 map, so I guess its older than I thought. I haven't had much luck detecting the lot though.

[TONKA]

Did the map show an outhouse or two on your property? Did you go to a library to look at it? If so, which one? I'd like to go to one where I could make some copies...

[Doug in SJ]

Hi Tonka -

You just need a San Jose library card and you can access the maps online and print them if you want.

www.sjpl.lib.ca.us/Resources/