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Pro tip: asking the site crew where they dumped dirt got me a box of 1800s pipe stems
A crew was digging a foundation near my place in Canton, Ohio, and instead of just watching from the fence I walked over and asked the foreman where they were hauling the spoils. He pointed me to a dirt pile two lots down and said nobody had looked at it, so I spent about 40 minutes after work sifting through it with a kitchen colander I keep in my trunk. Pulled out 14 white clay pipe stems, three shards of transfer print pottery, and one tiny marble that looks hand made. I took photos, logged the spot on my phone, and dropped the finds off at the local history office so they could record them. The trick is simple, talk to the crew before the dirt is gone, because once it gets hauled off you will never know what was in it. Has anyone else had luck asking construction guys about spoils piles, or do most of you stick to creeks and farm fields?
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hart.tara11d ago
Always ask the foreman, not the guys running the equipment. The operator is busy and might wave you off, but the foreman usually knows the schedule and can tell you how long the pile sits before the trucks come back. Get there on a Friday afternoon if you can, because a lot of sites shut down for the weekend and nobody touches the spoils until Monday. Bring a bucket and a screen, not just a colander, since wet clay clogs fast and you will lose small stuff like that marble. Also check the edge of the pile where rain has washed the dirt down, the heavy stuff like pipe stems and pottery shards settle right there. And hit the pile after a good rain, it saves you a ton of sifting. One last thing, never climb on the pile itself because sides cave in and you do not want to be that person.
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