revisiting privy "vault" and ash pit assemblages from the "unearthing chicago" series

the image gallery below provides several collections of 19th and early 20th century fragments and bottles unearthed from various demolition and/or dig sites in the city of chicago.

from wolf's point to the wood-lined privy "vault" discovered at the john kent russell house (1855) and everything in between, the gallery reveals an image "database" of buried artifacts left behind long ago by chicagons of another time.

many more collections and/or material assemblages will be added in the near future as i continue to visit dig sites and locate privy "vaults" in the coming months. it should be a very fruitful year, considering the dizzying rate of demolitions happening all around me. the next privy vault may be discovered at a moment's notice, so check back often.

finally, with the completion of the bldg. 51 museum book (available for sale at urban remains or the bldg. 51 virtual museum), the "unearthing chicago" book is beginning to take shape, with more images and information added weekly. i hope to have this book published by the winter of 2015.