A 19th Century Stoneware Birdhouse Recovered from a Privy in Brooklyn, New York

There has been a lot of local and national publicity lately for Boston's City Archaeology Department, where archaeologist, Joe Bagley, as well as students and volunteers are thought to have discovered some sort of eighteenth or nineteenth century privy in Boston. The brick-lined structure was discovered on the property of the circa 1711 Piece-Hichborn house, which neighbors the seventeenth century Paul Revere House in Boston's North End neighborhood. So far there have not been a lot of artifacts recovered from this context; whereas, it appears that this privy had been previously cleaned-out and later back-filled with bricks and dirt in the 1800s.

Nevertheless, this nineteenth century stoneware birdhouse, which appears to have been hand-modeled was recently recovered from a circa 1860/1870 brick-lined privy in Brooklyn in New York City. I was told that there were actually three related birdhouses found within this deposit; however, this was the only intact example, where another was found missing its base and the third was recovered in pieces.

I have never seen this form of stoneware birdhouse before - therefore, I assume it is from a local nineteenth century manufacturer possibly from New York or New Jersey, but it would be interesting to hear what others think.

Note: Here is a link to an article recently published in Boston Magazine that further discusses the ongoing archaeology dig at the circa 1711 Pierce-Hichborn House in Boston's North End neighborhood.

Stoneware Birdhouse Recovered in Brooklyn, NY

19th Century Stoneware Birdhouse

Recovered from a Circa 1860/1870s Privy in Brooklyn in New York City

Possibly a Local Manufacturer

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Zach Miller - Bella Vista, AR

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