The Hidden History Buried in My Backyard
July 30, 2024
Source: Reddit
It was a normal weekend day in the yard. I was going to sow some marigolds or perhaps finally put up the bird bath. Instead, I found something that floored me — a mysterious square hole in the corner of the yard, a sign of a hidden cistern.
Not treasure, not an old boot. This was something solid. It appeared to be the top of some buried structure. I scraped more dirt away and discovered it was covered with concrete slabs wired together by chicken wire. Odd, right? It seemed like it could be a hidden cistern.
A Hole That Told a Story
Five courses of block deep, the first course a foot below ground, 36 inches wide and 72 inches long was the pit. It’s not just something you whip up.
My first thought? Outhouse pit. But it didn’t match. Too big. Too precisely built.
That’s when I thought about my grandma and her childhood on a farm. No running water. Rain barrels. Wells dug by hand. All at once, those memories were understandable standing over this pit. Could it be a hidden cistern?
What Was It?
Could’ve been a few things:
- Cistern or Water Storage Tank: Inhabitants collected rainwater, particularly if their well was unreliable or water was hard to fetch. The levels and degree of depth are compatible, suggesting it might be a hidden cistern.
- Septic Tank: Maybe, but this seemed too purpose-built and clean.
- Root Cellar or Storage Pit: Maybe, but not deep or airy enough.
- Dry Well: Possibly so, but then, the design indicated storage, not drainage.
All signs led to a secret cistern in my backyard.
A Glimpse Into the Past
What I got: My home was constructed in the early 1900s. Plumbing was not included. People managed to work around it. If they wanted water, they gathered it. When it had to last, they made something like this.
“I was standing over that pit thinking about what it took to build this house and live in this house back then. No frills. Just function. The entire property was utilized.
The Pit Meant Something
This wasn’t just a hole. It was a reminder that someone had once depended upon it. It held water, it held effort and it held intention.
We often forget – our homes were once someone else’s life. So someone excavated it, set those blocks, paved it with the slabs. Not to impress. Just to live.
Next Time You’re Digging…
You might clip a root or a rock. Or you might find a mystery. A hidden cistern. A cellar. A marker of what came before.
When you do, stop and look. Ask what it was. Why it was there. Who needed it.
That tiny pit in my yard? It left me with more than a construction puzzle. It gave me perspective. And that’s a rare find.