Cool find at deer camp

[TxAg]

I bet that was stanky

You could smell it from quite a ways off

[Throwin Darts]

[ATTACH]880934[/ATTACH]

He’s way down in there.

[Shinesintx]

I’d definitely look at making a cover for that. It’s amazing how many hand dug wells are out there. Some of them still provide good water sources today.

Not sure I’d drink from the one pictured...but I’m a bit of a Nancy when it comes to the water I drink.

[kmon]

Cool find, Would get a cover. Some little boy named Timmy might find it the hard way and Lassie have to go get help to save him. How many times did that kid fall in a well on those shows.

[Shinesintx]

Baby Jessica just wept...

[Amazing Grace]

Is that a snake on his belly?

[JES]

I'm willing to that as old as that well is, that's not the first animal to fall in and die.

We have a shallow well like that on our place North of Aspermont, it's dry though.

[Kbar]

I think what you found is a "rainwater cistern". It was dug / built there to catch rainwater off of a roof.
Alot of old houses only had one exterior door and it went to the porch. Rainwater cisterns were usually on / at the porch side of a structure for easy access.
If the house had a straight gable, its usually located at the corner of the porch or out in front of the corner.
If the house was "L" shaped, they were usually at the inside corner so it would catch rain off the valley of two roofs.
They used some type of gutter to channel the water to them.
If you wanna look for the foundation location or outline, look for some type of natural material that would be used for piers for the structure. Might be just exterior or corners to support post only. Probably gonna be some larger sized rocks that are common in that area but may look out of place or in a line.
Rain, sediments, and time will sometimes partially or completely bury these so if you find something natural but out of place, you are on the right track.
Alot of times the entry door will face the South / South East to catch the rising sun coming up. Look at the drainage of the land. That may help you kinda figure out where to start. Water flow is probably gonna be away from the entry door.
Also, people back then had no trash service so waste was typically discarded into a pile or piles somewhere within a short walk. Is there maybe a ravine close by?
Some people would periodically burn these piles but there will probably still be glass, maybe some broken crocks, and probably some old tin containers still there. Sometimes there will be a larger than normal tree(s) where these piles are. I dont know if a tree(s) was a "marker" or if they grow there because of the waste. Hogs will root those trash piles even after 50 or so years, some of it may be on the ground or even scattered / washed (downhill) away from the original location by rain. Back then, there were no lawn mowers, so things that were dropped or set on the ground and forgotten about would disappeared even if it was not intended. Metal detectors are helpful for locating these types of things but look for the things used in construction .
Yall boys be careful and have fun looking for what treasures that rancher and his family left. Keep this thread up on what yall find.

[rosco11]

I think what you found is a "rainwater cistern". It was dug / built there to catch rainwater off of a roof.
Alot of old houses only had one exterior door and it went to the porch. Rainwater cisterns were usually on / at the porch side of a structure for easy access.
If the house had a straight gable, its usually located at the corner of the porch or out in front of the corner.
If the house was "L" shaped, they were usually at the inside corner so it would catch rain off the valley of two roofs.
They used some type of gutter to channel the water to them.
If you wanna look for the foundation location or outline, look for some type of natural material that would be used for piers for the structure. Might be just exterior or corners to support post only. Probably gonna be some larger sized rocks that are common in that area but may look out of place or in a line.
Rain, sediments, and time will sometimes partially or completely bury these so if you find something natural but out of place, you are on the right track.
Alot of times the entry door will face the South / South East to catch the rising sun coming up. Look at the drainage of the land. That may help you kinda figure out where to start. Water flow is probably gonna be away from the entry door.
Also, people back then had no trash service so waste was typically discarded into a pile or piles somewhere within a short walk. Is there maybe a ravine close by?
Some people would periodically burn these piles but there will probably still be glass, maybe some broken crocks, and probably some old tin containers still there. Sometimes there will be a larger than normal tree(s) where these piles are. I dont know if a tree(s) was a "marker" or if they grow there because of the waste. Hogs will root those trash piles even after 50 or so years, some of it may be on the ground or even scattered / washed (downhill) away from the original location by rain. Back then, there were no lawn mowers, so things that were dropped or set on the ground and forgotten about would disappeared even if it was not intended. Metal detectors are helpful for locating these types of things but look for the things used in construction .
Yall boys be careful and have fun looking for what treasures that rancher and his family left. Keep this thread up on what yall find.

Great info!

[Acameron52]

Just hop in there and see what’s up.

[TxAg]

I think what you found is a "rainwater cistern". It was dug / built there to catch rainwater off of a roof.
Alot of old houses only had one exterior door and it went to the porch. Rainwater cisterns were usually on / at the porch side of a structure for easy access.
If the house had a straight gable, its usually located at the corner of the porch or out in front of the corner.
If the house was "L" shaped, they were usually at the inside corner so it would catch rain off the valley of two roofs.
They used some type of gutter to channel the water to them.
If you wanna look for the foundation location or outline, look for some type of natural material that would be used for piers for the structure. Might be just exterior or corners to support post only. Probably gonna be some larger sized rocks that are common in that area but may look out of place or in a line.
Rain, sediments, and time will sometimes partially or completely bury these so if you find something natural but out of place, you are on the right track.
Alot of times the entry door will face the South / South East to catch the rising sun coming up. Look at the drainage of the land. That may help you kinda figure out where to start. Water flow is probably gonna be away from the entry door.
Also, people back then had no trash service so waste was typically discarded into a pile or piles somewhere within a short walk. Is there maybe a ravine close by?
Some people would periodically burn these piles but there will probably still be glass, maybe some broken crocks, and probably some old tin containers still there. Sometimes there will be a larger than normal tree(s) where these piles are. I dont know if a tree(s) was a "marker" or if they grow there because of the waste. Hogs will root those trash piles even after 50 or so years, some of it may be on the ground or even scattered / washed (downhill) away from the original location by rain. Back then, there were no lawn mowers, so things that were dropped or set on the ground and forgotten about would disappeared even if it was not intended. Metal detectors are helpful for locating these types of things but look for the things used in construction .
Yall boys be careful and have fun looking for what treasures that rancher and his family left. Keep this thread up on what yall find.

Thanks for the info

There are several dry creek/ravines criss crossing through there. About 50 yds north is a large post oak that is much bigger than the others nearby.

[TxAg]

Is that a snake on his belly?

Yes, a rat snake. Maybe 4’

[WrecklessRanch]

A few t posts and a hog panel wired into a circle is what I did to keep stuff out of the one on my property. Cool find!

[Spearchunker]

Nah, caution flag it and corn it for more hogs!

Every so often burn it down.

[Rubi513]

Very cool