Pity The Fool!
This story began about a year ago, I was working for a customer tiling a kitchen backsplash and in our conversations I mentioned my hobby of privy digging. To my surprise they didn’t respond in the usual brow furrowed “you…what?” but calmly commented on how their son in law had bought some property in Springfield Illinois for his business and had to tear down some old houses. Apparently the son in law (who shall be known as Mr ‘T’) had been approached by a privy digger who had been kind enough to save this history from being relegated to nothing more foundation fodder.
It turned out that I was to get a phone call from Mrs ‘T’ weeks later requesting I also grace her kitchen with a tiled backsplash. Fast forward to three weeks ago, I finally started working on the ‘T’s backsplash and when I walked in to start I nearly fell over when I saw about 3 boxes rammed full of dug bottles in the corner… Mr and Mrs ‘T’ had got their stash out to show me…. SWEET!!
I looked through and noticed some hutches and a blob pony, most of the others were just hammer bottles…with a few exceptions. I was informed that there had been about 3 properties dating around 1870-1880 which looked spot on with the type bottles in the boxes. I proceeded to share some general historical knowledge of local bottles and their connection with the ones I was holding. Anyway after going goo goo for 30 minutes I started work.
Fast forward 2 days… I had finished grouting and Mrs ‘T’ said “if there are any bottles you’d like, go ahead and take them” I replied “no, I can’t, they are yours” but I was urged to take some as they had taken the ones they wanted… and after all these were just going back up in the roof! So not being the argumentitive type I obliged and took 2 of the 7 hutches and the mug based pony, I was assured Mr ‘T’ would be okay about it. I took them home and like every privy digger with a dirty bottle in his hand ignored every request from his wife to come and sit at the table to eat as “it won’t take long to clean”. I put them on my shelf and gave them a good admiring.
The next day I went back to seal the tile and as I was walking out Mrs ‘T’ said “you can take more bottles if you like” to which I replied again “no they are yours..I have already taken 3″ So, yet again, I was talked into taking a couple more… and being the good sport that I am I took a couple more of the duplicated hutches.
After all I didn’t want to get on Mrs ‘T’s bad side!
Mr and Mrs ‘T’ were AWSOME customers… even before they gave me the bottles!
Here is a list;
C J Peterson hutch
Johnson & Peterson… possibly not hutch?
C J Peterson tombstone slug plate hutch
John Lauterbach tombstone slug plate hutch
M A Fisher mug based pony
All are Springfield, Illinois… slightly sick but with no damage.
