Privy Diggers Look For Buried Treasure

Privy Diggers Look For Buried Treasure AG WORLD Ag World 18-2-20 If you're looking for a new and unusual hobby, you might want to get in touch with the National Privy Diggers Association. They're looking for a few good men, and women, who like the idea of digging out under old outhouses. Privy diggers study old city maps to locate the earliest residential areas in their search for hundred year old outhouse locations because that's where the best buried "treasures" are found. They don't dig out under old farm outhouses because most farm families disposed of trash in other spots on farms. City folks, however, frequently used outhouses as trash dumps. Charlie Macioci of Canal Winchester, Ohio, and Rick Ronczka of Monaca, Penn., began digging into old privy sites several years ago. They're methodical in their digging, documenting each site as though it were an archaeological dig. They note at what levels they find wood ashes, lime, undigested seeds and, of course, whatever treasures they unearth. Macioci, who is a deputy sheriff, specializes in collecting wax sealing canning jars. Ronczka, a business executive, collects a variety of artifacts. Before digging, the men probe likely spots with 8-ft. steel rods. Humus soil, which is a good indication of a privy site, probes easily. The men also listen for an-other good indication - the clink of rods against glassware. They use shovels until they reach a layer of artifacts, then switch to hand trowels. The richly organic soil crumbles easily, allowing artifacts to be spotted quickly and extracted without problem. Even small items like buttons fall free, making sifting unnecessary in most cases. Glassware is placed in the shade as soon as it's taken from the cool damp hole so the sun doesn't cause too rapid a temperature change, cracking the pieces. Most common discoveries are wine, ink and medicine bottles. They also find dishes, kerosene lamps, jars, and animal bones. They're able to date bottles by embossed lettering and pontil marks. In addition to items intentionally dumped under a privy, the men find items they presume were lost rather than tossed, such as false teeth, gold watches, marbles, doll heads, coins, pens, and other such items. Ronczka, who has produced a slide show to help explain the unusual hobby, says safety is a major concern since the 8 to 10-ft. high sides of a privy hole can easily collapse. They sometimes shore up the sides when working in sandy soil. To clean up glassware, items are first washed with soap and water. Then Ronczka buffs them with a homemade buffer that's simply a large piece of PVC pipe laying on a pair of powered rollers. He puts a jar inside the pipe, together with an aggregate material, and lets it tumble. For more information, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, National Privy Diggers Association, 614 Park Dr., Mechanicsville, Va. 23111 or Rick Ronczka, 564 Taylor Ave., Monaca, Penn. 15061.

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