150 Year Old Map Led Us to an Absolute Jackpot in an Underground Stone Chamber 

Hi guys, we now have a patreon that you can go to and sign up to donate to support the channel. As of now there is no bonus content for signing up, but in the future there will be exclusive content and extended cuts of out videos for signing up. if you cannot afford to sign up, then we appreciate you all the same, and we thank you for watching the channel. heres a link for anyone who wants to check it out: www.patreon.com/belowtheplains link will also be in the description. thank you!

It's so interesting to imagine these peoples' lives based on the contents of these pits. Thanks for making these videos.

I really enjoy you, Tom, and the way that you appreciate the beauty and art of even the broken pieces that you unearth. I'm really enjoying watching these videos and marvel at the amazing finds that you dig out. Many thanks for your hard work.

The coffee pot, the soup kettle, the snuff jars, the liquor jugs, and the candy dish tops - WOW! What a wonderful find! Enjoy your videos very much! Thanks for all that you do!

My garden was the tip for the local castle so i have several feet depth to excavate and found some interesting items , the top layer is thick with blue domestos bottles from when the cart shed was used as a milking shed . Mostly i have 1950`s to 60`s rubbish but below that is the good stuff but its fair to say they didnt throw much out except glass items and worn out shoes . My pit looks just like yours but over a much larger area . Old smoky ink bottles are the best finds along with the poison ones . Its very cathartic on a lazy Sunday to do a bit more scraping . Getting rid of the broken glass is a pain , so far well over 2m3.

The Sandford ink company... In 1964, right around the time the ballpoint pen was overtaking the old nib fountain pen as America’ preferred writing stick, Sanford needed a Hail Mary pass to ensure its continued relevance in the industry. Their solution, developed and refined by Lofgren’s VP and lead chemist, Francis Gilbert (along with Green and Keith Beal), was a pen-like, felt-tipped permanent marker that could write cleanly on virtually any surface. The “Sharpie,” as they called it, not only sent the business to unexpected new heights, but also-ironically-helped bring some permanence to a long legacy that otherwise might have faded into obscurity.

The blob top bottle has the most beautiful color!

That pit was loaded! Thanks for taking us along.

Hey Tom.... Thanks for another great ride along. An old neck injury won't let me get out much any more so I follow you. My grandma was from Davenport but I've never been there. Bottles were my thing when I was able though. Just wanted to say hi from N. Alabama and express my appreciation for the care you take digging up history. Be safe my friend.

Its sad to think that so many bottles of the same kind could be indicative of a person with a serious condition. thanks guys for all the contemplative digs.

For the commenters on the drugstore bottles. It was common to give children cod liver oil to prevent rickets and other vitamin A and D deficiency diseases.

It always fascinates me how a delicate light bulb can go unbroken in a dump and a thick milk bottles gets broken lol

Caffeine AND cough syrup! That would be a good country song! Lol

All those medicine bottles make me wonder if someone had an addiction problem and was hiding it from their spouse! Cool finds.

The colored glass is my favorite like green, and blues.

During prohibition some people went to the doctor for "medicine"/liquor, which was the way to get around it, which is why there were so many of those bottles...

We came here for the absolute jackpot, and all we got was a bunch of early 1900s bottles! I can’t get the word bromo out of my head now! Thanks a lot! 😅

Crazy how you found 1880 blob top soda with all those 1923 bottles.

Whoa! With all the medicine bottles and cosmetic pots, leads me to believe there was a brothel nearby.

I'm addicted to watching your digs!

The bulb was amazing find,Jackpot

I ❤your videos, can’t stop watching.

Would enjoy seeing some of the button and marble finds from time to time. Thanks. The views are really adding up. Congrats.

All I can say is WOW!!! That was a Great Dig!!! Thank you for sharing it with us!!! Amazing Finds!!! I enjoyed it very very much!!! God Bless!!!

@Below the Plains *_We love your channel. Can't get enough of these videos! Thanks for all you do!_*

I love those lil bromo bottles the blue is such a lovely colour. Thanks for another awesome vid but get so jealous watching you dig such cool stuff. A big hi from the UK

Amazing finds, take care and thank you for sharing 👍👏💖

Unreal how many Henry Wampoles came out of there. I have that problem with round bottle mineral bottles currently. Great stuff, love your videos.

Wampole's preparation tonic and stimulate contain 12% alcohol by volume. My theory is the reason there are so many of these in this pit is because this was during prohibition and this was their way of getting alcohol. I believe this person was an alcoholic. Just my theory. Correct me if I'm wrong

Great content!!! A episode of your best or favorite finds would be cool

That Pit just kept on giving. What a haul. 💙

Great soda!

That clock mechanism looked amazing, but whoever lived there through that time was either ill or addicted to that medicine

Creo Terpin had 25% alcohol and Chloroform -whoa-I love these old patent drug containers-I used to work at a drug wholesaler and many of these products were available at least until the 1980s-such a cool dig! Thanks for the upload ☺

Great finds Tom ! Love to see what you dig up everytime !! Ty

Well made vid I always pause to get a better look at the old ads that help us connect with the items you dig. Thanks for the entertainment!

Hello 👋 from New York you found some amazing finds my favorite definitely was the ink bottles and the little perfume bottle Thank you for bringing me along with you I can't wait to see if you find next 😊

It would be awesome to know what things you dig are worth would add a lot of excitement as a viewer love your channel either way 👍

Well, damn.....I was just digging today, my nails are still dirty. I've got half pint milk bottle, round, and a big honey bear bottle stuck under some tree roots i can't seem to budge......until tomorrow hehehe. Love your channel!

I have learned so much by watching you dig. Do you have a web site where you sell your finds? I would be interested in buying some if you do. I would like to buy also small scraps of patterned dinner ware especially flat pieces.

I know of a plumber in St. Louis whose trucks are painted with the logo “ Your shit is our bread and butter.”. 😆

Ink pots and caffeine tablets. I sense the home of a writer with many deadlines. A local reporter? Anyway, thanks for the shares. There is something satisfying about digging in the dirt and uncovering the past.

Looked like whoever lived there had serious medical problems. Wow! Great dig Tom.

Previously only XXX Wampole medical bottles were known to exist. Now there are 48 more. Previously only XX Bromo caffine bottles were known to exists. Now there are 15 more. So much for rarity values.

Great finds there! You hit the jackpot on Bromo bottles! I'd just like one Bromo Caffeine!

Amazing how many of the same bottle types , at least they definitely knew what they liked ! Thanks for sharing

i dont know how i stumbled upon this channel but i have now watched several hours of somebody digging through old poop for old bottles and it raises some questions. mainly, why did people throw so many bottles into the poop pit? seems that would just fill it up even quicker, meaning having to dig another pit sooner. what is really interesting, and cool but sad is how many of these bottles seem to be manufactured in or labeled specifically for the area. its nice to see things that were made here and not "made in china" on 95% of what is found. now i want to go poke around the family farm where the house was built in the 1860's or so and is still sort of there. in a pile of wood & rubbish. but there is surely a pit to dig up somewhere. plus a cistern and a well or 2 i believe.

i was at a nature sanctuary this morning and found a broken piece of glass in the woods. it just so happens that it is part of a bottle that was shown at 38:37. it’s near were they dug out a well

Awesome dig & finds ! Some cool relics besides the bottles. Great job ! Best regards !

OMG This is the BEST find yet! AMAZING

With all the medicine bottles found, I had to find out more about them. The 16 oz tonic bottles sold for about $1 by druggists pretty much everywhere in the 1920's-30's. That translates to about $17-18 in 2023. $1 per bottle back then was definitely not cheap! For them to have bought so many means they had some wealth in the family. I would love to know more about the families that lived there during that time!

This channel gets me motivated to find my own bottles.

I love that you are digging up the past! 😍151 years passed and people are still hooked on alcohol, (prescription) drugs and toiletries. 😏

I went to college in Decroah! It's a really old Norwegian town and I'm sure the old yards are LOADED with stuff. Great video! Thanks for sharing!

I don't know what to say. What an awesome adventure. Thank you for sharing it. From Ohio

I suspect the medical condition was the migraine headaches. The Bromo Caffeine started appearing after the Wampole bottles stopped appearing. Maybe they used the tonic like we take vitamins. I suffered with migraines my whole life and began to use codeine to medicate, before Imitrex came to market. Love your channel!

You ever think about using a metal detector in the holes you dig to see if any coins or rings fell into the outhouse pits

I thoroughly enjoy your channel. I'm amazed of your knowledge but as you stated you have been recovering treasures for a few years. Some other channels the person digging will almost seem as if they are bragging but you give a down to earth approach that l like more. I have recovered Chinese ware & bottles from the North Queensland goldfields here in Australia but the area l live in does not have the history as you do. Please keep up the great work of you & your silent partner. Cheers, Pete (down under).

wow, lot of bottles in that one. a few pretty nice finds! keep up the hard work

Hi Tom and Jake! I love these videos. You have the patience of Job to do all that hard work. I haven't watched all your videos yet, but I have some burning questions! What is the most interesting thing you have found in your opinion? What is the oldest thing you have found? Do you ever run into human bones anywhere? (I watch too many murder mysteries...haha!) What do you do with your bottle collections? Do you trade them? Sell them? Lastly...has anyone commissioned you to do a dig? I live in Texas, and it's too hot and dangerous to do what you do in the summer. Late fall and winter is the best time to explore anything. There are several smaller German towns not too far that were founded around 1845 in Texas...and the state has survey maps and of course, there are Sanborn maps, etc for locations of outbuildings in the later 1800s. Have you ever traveled this far South? I have an ancestor that came from the Isle of Man to San Antonio, and he and another young man started a business digging wells as young entrepreneurs. He ended up moving to the country not far from there and farmed 200 acres and was a postmaster and had a small general store and saloon for pony riders. His property is still fairly unimproved. No maps other than the plat of his land. I do know one of the recent owners that know the property well. Lots of different types of privvys or dumps to explore everywhere. I don't know what is done in other places, but an old tradition in Texas is very interesting. When a person owns the property where a home burned down, or a building had been neglected for years, some landowners would dig huge pits and bury the remains of the house. I have no idea why this got started unless it was to prevent uncontrolled fires in the plains. The North side of San Antonio has a lot of limestone rocks, so any soft dirt would almost always be a well or privvy. South is more sandy soil in layers. Lots of very old history here before Texas was even a state in 1845. We'd love to have you!

The sewing machine bottle is a gem of a find, the label oh wow. What do you do with the finds?

I saw some guy digging with a backhoe and breaking everything! And he didn't care! It's nice to see how careful you are!

Hello, Just found you and thought I would watch.I'm 71 years old and I just love old findings. I'll be watching again, thanks for sharing.

I wonder how many cool little finds you miss out on by not screening the dirt? Seems like there would be some buttons, coins, etc.

I come from a very dense clay area and I am so envious of that soil.

Thank you for always posting great interesting content, amazes me how you find the right places to dig. James. Australia

thanks. Many items are my type of family remembrance.

One could make a drinking game with the word Bromo while watching this. Results would be... staggering. :) Jokes aside - thanks for showing Your world (and these secrets of the past) to us!

That pit just kept on giving😁 way to go.

Never seen so many bottles in one small spot!❤ UK

Always your videos very interesting, thank you for sharing.

That was a Pennsylvania railroad keystone on that little inkwell

Why not me. I’ve found a dozen old bottles. Can’t imagine a score like that. So cool. 😃😃😁

I wonder if those drug store bottles were some kind of vitamin like elixir ?? So many of them. You woukd always here of kids getting a dose of Cod Liver Oil . Wondering if it could be something along those lines. The fact u find those light bulbs intact amazes me. Great segment Tom !!

I can’t help but ponder the difference between the glass bottle and its necessity during early industrial revolution and the ubiquitous plastic of today. They won’t need to search for it because it will be in the air, the soil, the water.

Just discovered your channel this week. It’s really enjoyable. I’m assuming you slow down hunting during the frozen winter months. IMHO that would be a good time to showcase collectibles, prices, history, etc. Also, some bottles appear to have caps in place with product inside. Commentaries about this aspect would be appreciated. I enjoy the channel regardless and will continue watching!

Wampole met a sad end. From his Obituary: "The body of H. K. Wampole, head of the firm of Henry K. Wampole & Co., of Philadelphia, was found floating in the North River off Weehawken on Friday, September 14. On the previous Saturday, two physicians started with Mr. Wampole for a sanitarium in the Adirondacks of New York State. He had been suffering from a physical breakdown, and it was feared that if he did not get a complete rest his mind would give way. While they were at a Courtlandt street hotel in New York City, Mr. Wampole eluded them and was not seen again until his body was found nearly a week later. His son said that for the past five years it had been evident that his father had been failing mentally. It was thought it was merely a case of overwork, but a long rest seemed to do him no good so that finally it was deemed best to send him to a sanitarium.

Great finds!! Loved the bucket. Those early bottles are fantastic.

It cracks me up how dry and ill at ease your intros are but, when you are getting your hands dirty you come alive.

Sunburst on the bottom was for baccarat crystal!!!

36:48, that's some brutal archeology right there! hahah nice video!

Blue ink is beautiful

I just really dig this channel..it's so relaxing and very interesting. A hobby becomes a career 😊

That pit just kept on giving😁

You two are so cool. Love your channel. 😅😅😅

Boy they seemed like an ill bunch all those med bottles great upload thank you

Loved the light bulbs, hair brush.

Oodles of questions…how do you clean your finds? They look amazing in the end!

The glass @ 31:00 may have come from the clock. I was hoping for the face to turn up. The Hair Comb found @ 36:00 could have been tortoise shell which is very cool as well.

I would love to know what you do with all those bottles…would also love to see them cleaned up! Great video!

Niiiiice! What an amazing find. Thanks for sharing

So glad I discovered your channel! Really fascinating. I’m going to subscribe!

I feel it's only right to watch these while sitting on the toilet! Lol can't believe the light bulbs made it.

Ok, I'll ask it out load, does it seem to anyone else that around WWI the house could have been occupied by "soiled doves"? Hairbrush, perfume bottles, cold cream, and a nearly four dozen medicines and over a dozen caffeine bottle seem to point in that direction. Like you Tom I was surprised there wasn't more whiskeys.

Codliver oil & caffeine don't mix it you'll be hooked ha ha, good finds ,enjoyed the video thanks.

Those cold cream metal pot lids often have gorgeous art deco designs on them if you clean carefully.

I love the Carter's ink bottle

The embossed bottle with the keystone outline is probably from PA. Thanks for the enjoyable episode!

Those pop bottles were beautiful, I just don't know what to say at all those caster oil bottles. It must have worked for them. Thank you for another excellent video!!!!!

you's must have-a-good-eye for manual steel-rod probing when surveying the land prior...?