Documentation is an important part of privy digging. Unlike items found in a dump, where the items found could have come from just about anywhere, the items in an old privy are relevant and historically important to the location at which they are found.Therefore, ANY privy pit excavation should be documented with a journal (written account). Photos are a great way to supplement your documentation, but a journal should also be kept.
There are no concrete rules as to how one should do their dig documentation. The important thing is that it IS done. A dig journal with the bare basics is much better than nothing. I prefer to be as detailed as possible, and to include as much information as I can in my journals. This includes the build date of the house or building that used the pit, the current owner, the past owners/occupants that correspond with the age of the pit, the width, depth and type of construction of the pit, a description of the layers and their depths, and of course a list of artifacts recovered. Often, there will be multiple layers in a pit which are of different context (age). This is VERY significant from a historical standpoint.
Below is a sample of how I do my dig journals. This is not from a real dig (I wish it were!), but it will show how these journals help to preserve the historical record. I am not saying that my way is the right way or the only way, but I would welcome and encourage anyone to use this format.
PRIVY DIG- 17 West Elizabeth Street, Lewistown
Wood frame house, 2 1/2 story, built appx. 1849-1850
Tom Smith, Owner (Purchased in 2000)
4 1/2 x 5 x 8 1/2 ft. stone liner
Context: 1850s-1890s
Previous Occupants:
Henry Zerbe family, c. 1850-1880
Jack Jones family, c. 1880-1920s
1/1/2007: Located a stone-lined privy pit along the left property line. A test hole revealed a short cap of rocky clay for about eight inches, then a layer of coal ash. The coal ash continued to two feet, then another layer of clay appeared. This lasted for for 2 1/2 feet. At 4 1/2 feet, a thin layer of ash and lime appeared. This layer contained a few plain 1890s-1900 medicine bottles and a broken Lewistown Bottling Works blob beer bottle. Just below five feet, a solid 1890s trash layer began. This continued to seven feet, producing a good mix of 1880s and 90s-era material before giving way to a much older layer in the bottom 1 1/2 ft. of the pit. This layer was heavy black night soil, and contained artifacts that went back to the approximate build date of the house (1850s). Many bottles were recovered, and many ceramic fragments saved for reconstruction. This pit was almost certainly dipped at one point, as there was not much 1860s-70s material present.
1/1/07 FINDS:
1880s-90s layer, 4 1/2 to 7 feet:
Medicine bottle: JOS. McFADDEN/ PHARMACIST/ LEWISTOWN, Pa., 2-oz, oval, clear
Medicine bottle: MARTIN'S/ CITRATE/ OF/ MAGNESIA/ LEWISTOWN, PA, 6-oz, cyl,clear
Beer bottles: (3) intact and (2) broken LEWISTOWN BOTTLING WORKS, aqua, two slug plate variations.
Soda bottle: FRANK H. WENTZ/ LEWISTOWN/PA, hutchinson, round slug, aqua.
Medicine bottle: L.Q.C. WISHART'S// PINE TREE TAR/ CORDIAL// TRADE MARK/ (embossed pine tree)/ 1859, deep forest green
Medicine bottles: (2) green and (3) aqua PISO'S CURE FOR CONSUMPTION
Ink bottle: Cone, aqua
Ink bottle: Umbrella, 8-sided, aqua
Flask: Pumpkinseed, small size, clear
Flasks: Strap-sided, amber, (1) pint and (3) half-pint.
Flask: Strap-sided, bright green half-pint (broken)
Pipe: White clay, plain bowl, partial stem.
Saucer: Blue transfer (saved for reconstruction)
Commons: Numerous plain medicine bottles and clear coffin flasks, (2) unembossed wine bottles, (1) plain blob beer with blank slug plate. Broken plain, white dishes.
Bones: Mix of beef and pork bones.
1850s layer, 7 to 8 1/2 feet:
Soda bottles: SOULT & ZERBE/ LEWISTOWN, Pa., light green, 7", iron pontil. (5) intact and (2) broken examples found (brokens saved for reconstruction).
Beer bottle: J.H. FISHER/ LEWISTOWN/ PA., deep cobalt blue, 7 1/4", porter style, iron pontil.
Flask: Historical, Washington/Eagle with stars, pint, aqua, open pontil, sheared lip
Medicine bottle: R.R.R./ RADWAY & CO.// ENTD. ACORD. TO.// ACT OF CONGRESS, aqua, rect., 4 1/2", open pontil.
Medicine bottle: MARTIN &/ WHITELEY// NATIONAL/ TONIC// FEVER & AGUE// BALTIMORE MD., aqua, rect., 6", open pontil.
Medicine bottles: Unembossed, aqua, open pontil. (2) rectangles, rolled lip; (1) vial, flared lip; (1) cylinder, applied flat collar lip.
Broken: (5) small pontiled medicine bottles, (1) unknown early fruit jar (few fragments)Plate: Redware, slip decorated, 9" (fragments saved for reconstruction)
Chamber pot: Yellowware, blue seaweed pattern (fragments saved for reconstruction)
Toothbrush: Bone handle
Coin: 1836 Capped Bust U.S. silver dime (corroded)
Marbles: (6) clay and (2) painted china.
Shoes: 1 pair men's, 1 pair child's.
Bones: Many beef bones, few chicken bones.
As you can see, this would have been a great dig. It would also be very important historically. The pit has many things to tell us. First, since the context of the bottom (earliest) layer concurs with the build date of the house, this was likely the original pit. Second, the material in the oldest layer would have been from the Zerbe family, while that in the later layer would be from the Jones family. We can infer that Mr. Jones may have liked his whiskey from all the flasks. The Zerbe household likely had small children, from the marbles and small shoes. The Zerbes also seem to have eaten a lot of beef. Looking into the Zerbe name on the soda bottles reveals that Henry Zerbe was a partner in the bottling works.
Without documentation, most of this information would be lost. While small details may not interest everyone, anyone with a current or future interest in the Zerbe family, the Jones family, the house at 17 West Elizabeth Street or early Lewistown households in general would certainly appreciate the fact that you decided to save this valuable information. Any local historical society would be delighted to have it, for sure.
There is no need for any "battle" between hobbyist privy diggers and professional archaeologists. I am not a professional archaeologist, but that does not preclude me from being a good steward of history. Sites that are associated with prominent historical figures, ANY burial sites, state-owned sites and certain other types of sites should only be excavated by professionals, for obvious reasons. However, there is no reason for anyone to think that a hobbyist digger and amateur historian is doing any kind of disservice to history by excavating privies on private property with permission and doing so responsibly. Quite the opposite, actually.
On the other hand, excavating privies with greed and haste IS doing a major disservice. I like almost all of the hobbyist diggers AND professional archaeologists that I know and have dealt with. I simply steer clear of and have no time for "All for me" hobby diggers AND "State owns all, you're looting!" archaeologists, because both are wrong and both give their respective fields a bad name. Weeding out and disassociating from the few bad seeds on both sides, and not judging either side as a whole based on them, is the best thing to do.