150 Year Old Map Led Us to an Absolute Jackpot in an Underground Stone Chamber

Excavating the privy at a house in Decorah, Iowa
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[@BelowthePlains]

Hi guys, we now have a patreon that you can go to and sign up to donate to support the channel. As of now there is no bonus content for signing up, but in the future there will be exclusive content and extended cuts of out videos for signing up. if you cannot afford to sign up, then we appreciate you all the same, and we thank you for watching the channel. heres a link for anyone who wants to check it out: www.patreon.com/belowtheplains link will also be in the description. thank you!

[@suzieb8366]

Have you ever found anything that you got really exited about?

[@IamRemoWilliams]

I had a solar utility line trenched 3ft backyard found a clear small tool top clear bottle intact pieces of stoneware,also discarded pieces of my exact bathroom tile in back yard as well.perhaps I'll probe it in a couple dipped spots possibly the outhouse..You get me excited to unearth and bring to light things.I live in Cincinnati alot of old history here.

[@CeCe-fs9ed]

I’m in costal south Louisiana and that would be a wonderful hunt here

[@user-qp3uh8we8b]

Привет , ПОЧЕМУ ТОЛЬКО БУТЫЛКИ ???????? 🙄

[@flamingomtn]

It's so interesting to imagine these peoples' lives based on the contents of these pits. Thanks for making these videos.

[@jeffclark2725]

Well said,hisory of pioneers of the land

[@beverlyparrott3890]

Probably Logdon

[@MaggieG121]

I really enjoy you, Tom, and the way that you appreciate the beauty and art of even the broken pieces that you unearth. I'm really enjoying watching these videos and marvel at the amazing finds that you dig out. Many thanks for your hard work.

[@maryfielder3348]

The coffee pot, the soup kettle, the snuff jars, the liquor jugs, and the candy dish tops - WOW! What a wonderful find! Enjoy your videos very much! Thanks for all that you do!

[@JeanieHammondcatfeet]

All those medicine bottles make me wonder if someone had an addiction problem and was hiding it from their spouse! Cool finds.

[@yoopermary]

Maybe not necessarily hiding an addiction but it sure looks like someone had one. Doctors were freely writing prescriptions for heroin and morphine at the turn of the 20th century.

[@marcellacarrington1118]

Cod liver oil was commonly taken every day.

[@fook-joby-den6172]

Doctors used to give already isolated house wives mixtures of essential liquid speed balls of heroin/morphine/opium & cocaine then tell them to not leave the house when they were depressed. Narcotics weren’t regulated until around/just after ww1. Now we under that telling a depressed person to go develop and addiction and do the worst possible thing you can for depression, is a bit counter productive. However it was a different time & it only seems weird now because of extensive over regulation by government.

[@ElBrooklyn1]

Cough expectorants frequently had narcotics in them. I agree with the potential addiction theory. Also, if from the 1920s, they could have been used to hide liquor.

[@fredbazoo]

Most were probably alcohol extracts......Booze was everywhere and in every form.....Now you know why the Prohibition movement had many supporters....

[@tommychew6544]

That pit was loaded! Thanks for taking us along.

[@MyKharli]

My garden was the tip for the local castle so i have several feet depth to excavate and found some interesting items , the top layer is thick with blue domestos bottles from when the cart shed was used as a milking shed . Mostly i have 1950`s to 60`s rubbish but below that is the good stuff but its fair to say they didnt throw much out except glass items and worn out shoes . My pit looks just like yours but over a much larger area . Old smoky ink bottles are the best finds along with the poison ones . Its very cathartic on a lazy Sunday to do a bit more scraping . Getting rid of the broken glass is a pain , so far well over 2m3.

[@allencoles7661]

Get a tumbler for the broken glass. Then it can be used for aquariums, planters, jewelry, etc

[@ValerieDee123]

I concur. Red glass especially if it's old enough is quite valuable. Many seek it for bead making and other crafts.

[@IamRemoWilliams]

The bulb was amazing find,Jackpot

[@akster8434]

I'm addicted to watching your digs!

[@allencoles7661]

Hey Tom.... Thanks for another great ride along. An old neck injury won't let me get out much any more so I follow you. My grandma was from Davenport but I've never been there. Bottles were my thing when I was able though. Just wanted to say hi from N. Alabama and express my appreciation for the care you take digging up history. Be safe my friend.

[@jimcole389]

Just another guy from Winston co.ala,love your adventures

[@chriswilgus165]

Caffeine AND cough syrup! That would be a good country song! Lol

[@Jeremy_Zack_Lucas]

@Below the Plains *_We love your channel. Can't get enough of these videos! Thanks for all you do!_*

[@shepherd4406]

Would enjoy seeing some of the button and marble finds from time to time. Thanks. The views are really adding up. Congrats.

[@BelowthePlains]

haha we always do show the marbles.. but yeah, thats a good idea about the buttons.. i actually collect both of those two items... i havent come across much marbles lately tho.. it always makes my day when i get a pit with like 5 in it.. thanks for watching tho! and thank you for noticing about the views adding up.. feels good!!

[@therelicextractors4761]

It always fascinates me how a delicate light bulb can go unbroken in a dump and a thick milk bottles gets broken lol

[@yoopermary]

And I have eo ask myself; where ARE all the milk bottles from this household? Or did milk arrive in something else then, like in a bucket straight from the cow?

[@michiganjfrog5714]

@@yoopermary The empty milk bottle were returned to the milkman.

[@yoopermary]

@@michiganjfrog5714 Oh sure, that must be right. Thank you.

[@williamfindspeople4341]

An Edison light bulb in working condition is worth $95

[@michaelweems679]

Light bulbs were much thicker back then.

[@christhompson4270]

Amazing finds, take care and thank you for sharing 👍👏💖

[@Portaltotheparanormal70]

Great finds Tom ! Love to see what you dig up everytime !! Ty

[@kathysenn7664]

Its sad to think that so many bottles of the same kind could be indicative of a person with a serious condition. thanks guys for all the contemplative digs.

[@loripretti843]

All I can say is WOW!!! That was a Great Dig!!! Thank you for sharing it with us!!! Amazing Finds!!! I enjoyed it very very much!!! God Bless!!!

[@maddestofthemall1]

Whoa! With all the medicine bottles and cosmetic pots, leads me to believe there was a brothel nearby.

[@653j521]

Brothels are on Sanborn maps. In my town they were listed as suspiciously common "women's hotels." In an era when there weren't many women from back home, it is odd to see a hotel for them on every block. :) Went well with the Chinese laundries. When statehood ruined the men's fun, both the ladies and the laundries were given notice to depart, after servicing the legislature one last time so they had traveling money. Such thoughtful politicians. :)

[@TheYammerHammer]

OMG This is the BEST find yet! AMAZING

[@cynthiajenkins6835]

Great finds!! Loved the bucket. Those early bottles are fantastic.

[@andreastevens4987]

That Pit just kept on giving. What a haul. 💙

[@cheltinker7709]

I love those lil bromo bottles the blue is such a lovely colour. Thanks for another awesome vid but get so jealous watching you dig such cool stuff. A big hi from the UK

[@davebudrus46]

Well made vid I always pause to get a better look at the old ads that help us connect with the items you dig. Thanks for the entertainment!

[@alvaroq2024]

We came here for the absolute jackpot, and all we got was a bunch of early 1900s bottles! I can’t get the word bromo out of my head now! Thanks a lot! 😅

[@jimmysinclair6943]

Niiiiice! What an amazing find. Thanks for sharing

[@swbottles]

Crazy how you found 1880 blob top soda with all those 1923 bottles.

[@BIGALL7777]

Awesome dig & finds ! Some cool relics besides the bottles. Great job ! Best regards !

[@stevenb9913]

Great content!!! A episode of your best or favorite finds would be cool

[@mimimitch327]

How awesome! Must be so much fun to do that!

[@warrenmink2429]

Amazing how many of the same bottle types , at least they definitely knew what they liked ! Thanks for sharing

[@BestSellers2122]

Thanks!

[@jamesonheche2899]

wow, lot of bottles in that one. a few pretty nice finds! keep up the hard work

[@soonzach4017]

Always your videos very interesting, thank you for sharing.

[@bahldr01]

I went to college in Decroah! It's a really old Norwegian town and I'm sure the old yards are LOADED with stuff. Great video! Thanks for sharing!

[@williamheden6794]

I don't know what to say. What an awesome adventure. Thank you for sharing it. From Ohio

[@jaycall2505]

thanks. Many items are my type of family remembrance.

[@hchilless3467]

Great video Tom. Hope you had fun.

[@samsager1]

Awesome digs Tom!!

[@soonzach4017]

I ❤your videos, can’t stop watching.

[@jerrysadventures8952]

Enjoyed watching you dig

[@canklemedkits3772]

This channel gets me motivated to find my own bottles.

[@tarrasams7423]

Hello 👋 from New York you found some amazing finds my favorite definitely was the ink bottles and the little perfume bottle Thank you for bringing me along with you I can't wait to see if you find next 😊

[@thomassawyer5565]

I have learned so much by watching you dig. Do you have a web site where you sell your finds? I would be interested in buying some if you do. I would like to buy also small scraps of patterned dinner ware especially flat pieces.

[@bgierat]

So glad I discovered your channel! Really fascinating. I’m going to subscribe!

[@mavericktheiceman1155]

Amazing finds

[@glennmurphy1820]

Great dig.

[@joanwolff802]

Loved the light bulbs, hair brush.

[@Barnswallow262]

Great soda!

[@stivjoz476]

Very nice finds !

[@d.l.d.l.8140]

I know of a plumber in St. Louis whose trucks are painted with the logo “ Your shit is our bread and butter.”. 😆

[@patriciahill6851]

That pit just kept on giving😁 way to go.

[@peterzito1372]

Boy they seemed like an ill bunch all those med bottles great upload thank you

[@marcellacarrington1118]

For the commenters on the drugstore bottles. It was common to give children cod liver oil to prevent rickets and other vitamin A and D deficiency diseases.

[@TheCastagne]

36:48, that's some brutal archeology right there! hahah nice video!

[@oldwoodentrunkadventures]

Unreal how many Henry Wampoles came out of there. I have that problem with round bottle mineral bottles currently. Great stuff, love your videos.

[@rock13fish]

H.K. Wampole Cod Liver Oil was 12% alcohol (24 proof). Prohibition was from 1920 to 1923. There's a good chance the Wampole bottles and the caffeine were for just folks looking for a little high.

[@chadriffs]

During prohibition some people went to the doctor for "medicine"/liquor, which was the way to get around it, which is why there were so many of those bottles...

[@visasmom]

That's what I was thinking too.

[@goldseaoutdoors4708]

Great bottles brother

[@patriciahill6851]

That pit just kept on giving😁

[@petekbleeepingaustralia8720]

Mate kool watching always 👍🏼

[@vieuxrawls923]

Nice to see you get into an older pit

[@tracielliott681]

Well, damn.....I was just digging today, my nails are still dirty. I've got half pint milk bottle, round, and a big honey bear bottle stuck under some tree roots i can't seem to budge......until tomorrow hehehe. Love your channel!

[@cindysutton8106]

The colored glass is my favorite like green, and blues.

[@jont8707]

It would be awesome to know what things you dig are worth would add a lot of excitement as a viewer love your channel either way 👍

[@IamRemoWilliams]

I saw a collection of bottles went for $200,000 plus.

[@jont8707]

@@IamRemoWilliams omg 😱 wow ty for that info so some can be worth a small fortune

[@lynnerodgers4461]

The blob top bottle has the most beautiful color!

[@richardbeee]

Looked like whoever lived there had serious medical problems. Wow! Great dig Tom.

[@melissaslate1621]

Great haul!

[@BelowthePlains]

oh yeah i know.. the homeowner actually came out and took those embossed drug store bottles and we had to beg to keep the soda.. it was a very dramatic high to low experience.. but the soda was the best bottle by far.. but that book store bottle was the only one known which totally sucks.. we dont only find unknown bottles a few times a year.. and we dig like every day.. you will notice those drugstore bottles werent in the end shot of the video with all the other bottle laid out on the ground... thats why.. but thanks for watching and commenting

[@daviddarrall9384]

Never seen so many bottles in one small spot!❤ UK

[@ABeautfulMess]

I just really dig this channel..it's so relaxing and very interesting. A hobby becomes a career 😊

[@jamesexploringonline872]

Thank you for always posting great interesting content, amazes me how you find the right places to dig. James. Australia

[@BelowthePlains]

wow thanks! well we use probe rods.. we are probably gonna show a play-by-play on how we find them in the future, but we usually dont show it because its pretty boring. and theres usually some clues on the maps, but the probe rods are how we find the exact spot, and then the dimensions.. and sometimes we dig up something that wasnt a pit at all.. so its hit and miss, but obviously we dont show all the times we fail.. which is probably about 40% of the time. but thank you tho, that was really nice. and thanks for watching

[@jamesexploringonline872]

@Below the Plains thank you for your interesting comments, which means a lot . I look forward to viewing your other uploads. Take care. James, Australia 🇦🇺.

[@dawnhaynes7784]

Hey from way down here in southeast ga love your videos thanks for sharing

[@1961Duane314]

Hope you made a visit to the springs while there. What a haul. Enjoyed it alot.

[@CthulhuOO7]

I come from a very dense clay area and I am so envious of that soil.

[@clarencebirdashaw8117]

You two are so cool. Love your channel. 😅😅😅

[@BelowthePlains]

oh wow, thank you so much!! we really appreciate that alot. thanks for watching and leaving us a comment

[@bonniewoodruff2435]

I love the Carter's ink bottle

[@BrookeMonfort]

Ink pots and caffeine tablets. I sense the home of a writer with many deadlines. A local reporter? Anyway, thanks for the shares. There is something satisfying about digging in the dirt and uncovering the past.

[@pup8112]

Just in time 👍🏼

[@tomswoverland]

Why not me. I’ve found a dozen old bottles. Can’t imagine a score like that. So cool. 😃😃😁

[@Missangie827]

Creo Terpin had 25% alcohol and Chloroform -whoa-I love these old patent drug containers-I used to work at a drug wholesaler and many of these products were available at least until the 1980s-such a cool dig! Thanks for the upload ☺

[@estop4804]

I just recently discovered and subscribed to your channel and i find it very interesting as I watch i find myself saying whats he going to find next . Keep up the great work

[@deborah2063]

Great finds there! You hit the jackpot on Bromo bottles! I'd just like one Bromo Caffeine!

[@ryansell]

You ever think about using a metal detector in the holes you dig to see if any coins or rings fell into the outhouse pits

[@RottenPoliticians]

Wouldn't it smell just a little like sh*t down in that hole?

[@chrissignal8857]

There's actually all kinds of things. It's better to sift if you have time.

[@ryansell]

So have you found any rings or jewelry in the pits

[@chrissignal8857]

@@ryansell metal and non metal things while sifting like buttons, coins, marbles, toys etc. No jewelry.

[@flamingomtn]

I said the same thing on another video. I do metal detecting and would LOVE to follow these guys around.

[@aurorincorporated]

One could make a drinking game with the word Bromo while watching this. Results would be... staggering. :) Jokes aside - thanks for showing Your world (and these secrets of the past) to us!

[@stevehands4262]

That clock mechanism looked amazing, but whoever lived there through that time was either ill or addicted to that medicine

[@That70sChannel]

That was my assumption. I was assuming that they were using laudanum.

[@denalinde]

@@That70sChannel I looked up most of the Wampole’s bottles & it seems like they really liked cod liver oil, not laudanum, which is an interesting addiction. One version had cherry flavoring. Cherry cod isn’t a combo I think I’d like.

[@denalinde]

I also looked up the Creo Terpin, another of this family’s favorites which contained chloroform as the main ingredient. 🤔

[@stevehands4262]

@@denalinde a lot of medicine of the time was based around chloroform and opiates, you didn't get better, but you didn't care

[@denalinde]

@@stevehands4262 Yep! Bayer Heroin was available for a bit. I was kind of surprised there didn’t seem to be opiate products in any of the Wampole’s bottles, which was the majority of what was pulled out.

[@matthewburris6177]

That was a Pennsylvania railroad keystone on that little inkwell

[@theresaterri]

With all the medicine bottles found, I had to find out more about them. The 16 oz tonic bottles sold for about $1 by druggists pretty much everywhere in the 1920's-30's. That translates to about $17-18 in 2023. $1 per bottle back then was definitely not cheap! For them to have bought so many means they had some wealth in the family. I would love to know more about the families that lived there during that time!

[@labellaflora....]

I suspect the medical condition was the migraine headaches. The Bromo Caffeine started appearing after the Wampole bottles stopped appearing. Maybe they used the tonic like we take vitamins. I suffered with migraines my whole life and began to use codeine to medicate, before Imitrex came to market. Love your channel!

[@DISCODJ74]

I saw some guy digging with a backhoe and breaking everything! And he didn't care! It's nice to see how careful you are!

[@ozziepete55]

I thoroughly enjoy your channel. I'm amazed of your knowledge but as you stated you have been recovering treasures for a few years. Some other channels the person digging will almost seem as if they are bragging but you give a down to earth approach that l like more. I have recovered Chinese ware & bottles from the North Queensland goldfields here in Australia but the area l live in does not have the history as you do. Please keep up the great work of you & your silent partner. Cheers, Pete (down under).

[@roseanntrott4417]

The embossed bottle with the keystone outline is probably from PA. Thanks for the enjoyable episode!

[@farrelltyemanlevitt8999]

The Sandford ink company... In 1964, right around the time the ballpoint pen was overtaking the old nib fountain pen as America’ preferred writing stick, Sanford needed a Hail Mary pass to ensure its continued relevance in the industry. Their solution, developed and refined by Lofgren’s VP and lead chemist, Francis Gilbert (along with Green and Keith Beal), was a pen-like, felt-tipped permanent marker that could write cleanly on virtually any surface. The “Sharpie,” as they called it, not only sent the business to unexpected new heights, but also-ironically-helped bring some permanence to a long legacy that otherwise might have faded into obscurity.

[@653j521]

Interesting.

[@robraines859]

Codliver oil & caffeine don't mix it you'll be hooked ha ha, good finds ,enjoyed the video thanks.

[@brendamacrae1120]

Oodles of questions…how do you clean your finds? They look amazing in the end!

[@birdwatcnetty9881]

Those pop bottles were beautiful, I just don't know what to say at all those caster oil bottles. It must have worked for them. Thank you for another excellent video!!!!!

[@BestSellers2122]

Nice!

[@gregwelby8577]

Those cold cream metal pot lids often have gorgeous art deco designs on them if you clean carefully.

[@therelicextractors4761]

That blob was sweet !!

[@oldfordcarsandtrucks]

I feel it's only right to watch these while sitting on the toilet! Lol can't believe the light bulbs made it.

[@johnlord8337]

Olive or pearl onion bottle, cork seal, potentially also a Heinz - needed to see bottom for embossing and maker's mark.

[@TangoCharlieAlpha]

I wonder how many cool little finds you miss out on by not screening the dirt? Seems like there would be some buttons, coins, etc.

[@jacobfoerster6979]

I went with Tim on a dig once and a guy tried metal detecting the pile of dirt and it buzzed every inch of soil due to all the old nails and other metal in the backfill layer