Unearthing History Through Bottles: A Conversation With BottleNed About Digging Tips and Preserving the Hobby

BottleNed, also known simply as Ned, is a YouTuber who runs the channel “Digging the Old West with BottleNed.” His videos focus on exploring historical sites, particularly through the excavation of old privy pits, sewer trenches, dumps, and sinkholes. Ned shares his adventures and discoveries with his audience, revealing the history and stories behind the items he finds.

His content is meticulously crafted for relic and bottle enthusiasts, as well as historians, blending the excitement of discovery with scholarly insights into the historical significance of the artifacts. His channel serves as an educational resource, highlighting the methodologies used in digs while preserving the narratives encapsulated in the bottles he unearths.

Through his detailed storytelling and methodical yet entertaining approach, Ned educates his audience on the cultural and historical contexts of his findings. This makes his channel a valuable repository of knowledge for amateur and professional historians, relic metal detectorists, bottle diggers, and anyone with a keen interest in historic preservation and archaeology.

A Small Sample of Bottles Found by BottleNed

My fellow relic-detecting friends and I have gained invaluable insights from watching Ned’s YouTube videos and following his Instagram feed. His tips on where to look for old artifacts are beneficial even to metal detectorists primarily searching for metal relics rather than bottles. However, for those who are into bottle hunting, his advice is even more invaluable. Often, my relic-hunting friends and I find ourselves wishing we could channel his expertise when searching for privies and old dumps. Therefore, I am thrilled to have the opportunity to interview him.

His YouTube channel is relatively new, having launched during the pandemic, yet it has already gained an impressive 7.22K subscribers.

Below, you’ll find my questions, along with some from our readers and Ned’s insightful answers.

About Ned and Why He Got Into Bottle Digging

Ned’s passion for bottle digging and history was evident from an early age, almost as if he was destined for it. Remarkably, his first word as an infant was “bottle.” As a toddler, his parents noticed his fascination with bottles and jars; he would often climb onto counters to examine and meticulously empty them.

At just five years old, Ned discovered his first bottle on a beach in San Francisco Bay—an ENJ Brandy bottle. His favorite childhood beach was Glass Beach, located in MacKerricher State Park in Fort Bragg, California, about three hours north of San Francisco. By age eleven, his middle school—built on a landfill—became an unexpected treasure trove. During recess and lunch breaks, while other kids played, Ned would hide behind a bush and dig up to six feet deep, unearthing Milk of Magnesia bottles, WWII-era newspapers, and other items from the 1920s and 1940s. However, his digging adventures were cut short when he was caught and expelled for what was deemed vandalism.

In high school, Ned stumbled upon a website that fueled his curiosity, revealing just how many old bottles could be found in San Francisco. This discovery led him to explore one of the Bays in San Francisco, where he encountered a man using a probe. This meeting eventually introduced him to a couple of brothers who were experienced privy diggers. Under their guidance, Ned delved deeper into the world of bottle digging, learning how to locate and excavate privies and bottle dumps.

To understand how strong his passion is, rather than attending prom, BottleNed chose to look for bottles in the mud outside a state prison. There was no digging, just eyeballing what he could see on the surface. While the guards weren’t too happy about it, BottleNed certainly was—he found a mustard jar with acid etching from World War II right on the surface without digging.

For Ned, it’s about the historical story the bottle holds rather than the bottle itself.

BottleNeds Interview

What is the holy grail that bottle you want to find but have not yet found?

I don’t really have a single “holy grail” bottle, mainly because there were so many different products that were bottled back in the day, and each one has its unique history, especially in connection to the Old West. This is why I love bottle digging.

Objectively, the most coveted bottle for serious, history-loving bottle diggers would be one from San Francisco by a company called Baker & Cutting. It’s a cathedral pickle bottle, known to be the first bottle blown in California in 1859. The pickling factory made its own bottles, but they were of such poor quality that only one complete, intact, and unbroken example is known to exist.

Why haven’t we seen you using a metal detector? Do you own one, or have you never owned one? Do you ever bring a pinpointer into a privy? With pinpointers now having the sensitivity to block out iron, they can be quite handy in dumps and privies, but I’ve never seen you using one.

If I had more time, I would use a metal detector. Privies can be six to fifteen feet deep, and it takes time to dig that deep. When I’m digging at a permission, I have limited time. The bottles are generally in the bottom layer of a privy, which means they are quite a ways down. It already takes time to dig a privy, and detecting the same dirt would add even more time. Fortunately, I handle the dirt twice—once when taking it out of the privy and again when putting it back—which allows me to find coins, buttons, and other items beside bottles.

If I had extra time and a metal detector, I would definitely use one. Chuck, which I nicknamed “Chucky Cheese,” who comes bottle digging with me, does use a metal detector and brings it to some of our digs. If we can find coins visually just by digging the dirt up and putting it back, there are definitely more coins and other metal objects worth detecting.

Who are your mentors regarding bottle digging, relic hunting, and preserving history?

I met my main mentor as a teenager, in high school. I had just gotten my license and drove to San Francisco to look for bottles. I had read that San Francisco was littered with old bottles—a bottle digging heaven—and that Chinatown, in particular, was full of them. When I arrived in San Francisco, I found an empty lot at a construction site and started digging, searching for bottles. That’s when I met Judi.

Picture this: I was there by myself, digging a hole, when I heard the giggling of a girl who sounded about 20. I looked up from my hole, and there she was—a woman in her 70s, with wide eyes and wild hair, laughing with joy as she jumped over the fence, landing on her feet and pushing her shovel into the ground like a karate ninja master. I was immediately mesmerized by Judi’s youthful persona, smiling and laughing with a beautiful, childlike excitement. She wasn’t alone; a group of men followed her, her muscle, clearly showing that she was the ring leader who led the troops.

Judi had started bottle digging in the 60s and had been at it for 40 years. For example, she dug bottles when they redid the Financial District.

That day, I made a lifelong friend—a digging mother—who taught me everything she had learned from decades of digging in San Francisco. She showed me how to find privy outhouses and shared what she had discovered in different places. She’s now retired from bottle digging and is in her 90s. I owe much of my success to her mentoring.

Ned’s Bottle Digging Tips

First, when did bottle privies begin to decline? Specifically, when did households within city limits, which used to dispose of waste on their own property, transition to having their trash collected by a waste disposal service?

It depends on the city and whether the area is urban or rural. For instance, in California, indoor flush toilets became more common in wealthier homes during the 1860s and gained popularity in middle-class urban homes around the 1880s-90s. However, some homes, especially in the countryside or poorer areas, didn’t get flushable toilets until the 1930s. It largely depended on the wealth of the community and when they installed sewer piping in the street.

When you arrive at a new property, how long does it typically take to locate a bottle dump or privy on the site?

It depends on the size of the site. If it’s a typical city lot with a back and side line, the first places to check are the back line, side line, or corners. Generally, on a city lot, if the soil is saturated and wet, making it easy to probe without any fill or obstructions, I could find a privy in about 10 minutes.

On farm sites, dumps are often located in low areas, such as a dry wash, hillside, or creek. However, it can be challenging to identify where the dry wash was because farmers often alter the land, plowing it with horses, bulldozing, and filling in areas to make the property flatter. As a result, farm properties change a lot over time, so it can take some time to find the privies and dumps on farm sites.

How many bottle dumps can typically be found on a property that is over 100 years old?

Typically, in rural areas, people would use the same dumping ground for many years, often over 150 years, with multiple generations dumping in the same spot. This practice continued until around the 1960s, when garbage collection became more common.

In urban areas, there could be many places where bottles are found, such as in a typical privy, and or under the house, or in a filled-in old well or cellar hole. People might have made multiple holes around the yard, throwing items in and covering them over.

The general rule of thumb is that in rural areas, dumps are less scattered, with only a couple of primary locations, whereas in urban areas, there could be multiple places where bottles are found.

Your videos are condensed to show the highlights of a dig. How many hours do you typically spend on a site to create approximately 50 minutes of content?

It depends on how quickly a dig progresses. If something interesting happens, I’ll film it. A dig often takes all day, and I’ll turn on the camera when something funny is said or something interesting happens. Condensing 8 hours of footage into a 50-minute video is the sweet spot for my channel.

When digging a privy, you can usually find all four walls and the bottom, allowing you to recover about 90 percent of the bottles. However, in a town that’s prone to flooding, high tides, or rivers, you’ll never get all the bottles in a single dig—it might take multiple days, weeks, or months. To recover every bottle, you would need to trench the area. When water is involved, bottles can be scattered everywhere, sometimes even floating out of privies and ending up elsewhere. There, for each dig and the time it takes to get the footage varies.  

Health Concerns Regarding Digging Dumps and Privies

You have been very open about your exposure to toxic chemicals, specifically century-old petroleum byproducts, tannery effluents, factory runoff, motor oil, and other harmful substances while digging in marshes near industrial areas or city dumps. Could you please share what you’ve learned from this experience to help others who are considering getting into bottle digging or are already involved so they can avoid making the same mistakes?

If you’re concerned about exposure to toxic substances, you might want to reconsider digging in the ground, as humans have always disposed of waste there. Most people don’t realize that privies are actually safer to dig than many other areas because they primarily contain organic waste—“human poop”—that has had years to decompose into soil. In contrast, digging in the top layer of soil in most urban developments often exposes you to lead from paint and other chemicals from cars and factories.

Additionally, there are conditions like silicosis that can result from inhaling airborne silica dust. To minimize this risk, it’s smarter to dig during the wet season when the dust is less likely to become airborne.

If you’re very concerned about chemical contaminants, try to avoid dumps and privies in urban areas and focus on farm dumps and privies in the countryside, as they are much safer. Urban dumps and privies often contain car oils, fluids, factory chemicals, and other harmful substances that have seeped into the soil. A clear indication of contamination is if the area smells like a gas station when you’re digging. If you start getting a headache, it’s a sign you’re being exposed to these chemicals. Unfortunately, respirators and gloves won’t fully protect you—they can still penetrate through exposed skin via your pores. Minimize risk where you can by being cautious, but remember that the goal is to have fun, and that’s what life is all about.

Privy diggers face health risks from tetanus and infectious diseases, as viruses and bacteria can survive for years underground. I, along with your other followers, have noticed that you and those who dig with you often don’t wear gloves or use masks when digging privies. I’ve read about privy diggers contracting histoplasmosis directly from digging in privies or developing pulmonary hazards, such as lung issues, from dust and ash while digging.

All of us—whether bottle diggers, detectorists, or even gardeners—may not fully understand the impact digging in the dirt has on our health until we’re older. People have been digging privies since the 1960s, so we should examine the health of veteran privy diggers to determine the potential risks associated with digging. There are diseases one can contract from digging in the dirt, but these risks apply to anyone—from animals digging to humans, whether they’re bottle diggers or gardeners.

One such disease is Coccidioidomycosis (Valley Fever), a fungus in the soil that spreads through inhaling spores. In 2023, 9,280 people contracted it in California, a state with a population of 39.03 million. That represents just 0.0002% of the population—an extremely small percentage. Additionally, I’ve never heard of anyone contracting anthrax from digging privies, even if it’s scientifically possible.

If you’re very concerned, it might be best to avoid bottle digging or any form of digging altogether. If you’re somewhat concerned, as I mentioned earlier, it’s safer to dig when the ground is wet—both for your health and because wet conditions are ideal for probing the ground.

Bottle Probes and Other Accessories

When looking to buy or make a bottle probe, what should you consider and avoid? With your experience, I imagine you’ve tried or seen many, and you likely have a good sense of what to look for when purchasing a bottle probe.

First, you should have two bottle probes. The first, which we’ll call the “starter probe,” should be suited to your height—tall enough to be effective but not so tall that it becomes uncomfortable to use. The second, which we’ll call the “chaser probe,” should be taller than you, around 6 to 7 feet. This secondary probe is essential for locating deeper privies. Both probes should be carried with you at all times because some privies are very deep. If you’re not finding anything with your starter probe, switch to the chaser probe to reach those deeper outhouse privies. 

An Example of the Depth a Privy Can Reach

Your skill with a basic shovel to extract bottles from a dump or privy is impressive—you have the ability to pull them out without breaking them. Most of us aren’t as experienced, so what tools do you recommend for beginners in bottle digging to safely excavate and remove bottles?

Use a dandelion fork, which can be found in most garden departments at a gardening or hardware store or purchased on Amazon. However, don’t use it as is—the fork typically comes with two sharp points, which can damage glass objects. Definitely file down the points to create smooth, rounded tips. When you encounter a bottle with your modified dandelion fork, gently graze the bottle to remove soil and debris. A modified dandelion fork with rounded, smooth tips is firm enough to dig into the dirt without bending, yet not so sharp or heavy that it risks damaging the bottle.

Cleaning Dug Bottles

How do you clean the bottles so thoroughly while still preserving the cool rainbow patina? Do you use only water, or do you use any detergents? If so, could you share the brands?

You don’t need detergent or soap to clean bottles; all you need is water and a toothbrush or a light soak in muriatic acid.

To clean the inside, use a grain, something non-abrasive like corn kernels. Fill the bottle about one-third full of water, then shake it vigorously. This should help remove the dirt and debris. If not, soak it in muriatic acid.”

A Small Sample of Bottles Found and Cleaned by BottleNed

Preserving the Hobby of Bottle Digging and Treasure Hunting in General

In some of your videos, it’s clear that you emphasize the historical value of uncovering bottles and relics. This allows us to appreciate the effort it took to make, transport, use, and eventually discard these items. For you, digging isn’t about monetary gain; it’s about a genuine love for the history associated with the bottles you unearth. How can the hobby be preserved, and how can we prevent those who exploit the hobby profit?

Anyone with a social media account and influence in the bottle digging, metal detecting, or treasure hunting, or history niche who sensationalizes the “monetary value” of items is acting unethically. This behavior promotes digging for profit rather than preservation. The items unearthed carry meaning, a story, and a history that should be appreciated—not for their monetary worth, but for the effort it took to create them, how they were discarded, why they survived the elements, and how they were ultimately rediscovered.

This also applies to digging in prohibited areas, such as National Parks or State Parks, where excavation is illegal. Engaging in such activities is just as unethical as those who search for and sell native artifacts. National and State Parks, and other protected areas, are meant for everyone to enjoy—not just today, but for generations to come. The historical artifacts in these places should remain untouched.

There are plenty of places where bottle digging, metal detecting, and treasure hunting are allowed, such as private lands and beaches. Much of the land around us is constantly being developed, and in most cases, developers don’t care about history—they just want to build high-rises and office buildings. I’ve seen thousands of artifacts destroyed by land development, but on the flip side, I’ve also saved thousands by securing the rights to search properties before they are developed.

The “monetary value” shouldn’t be used by bottle diggers, metal detectorists, or treasure hunters when discussing historic items, especially bottles. Trust me, most intact 19th-century bottles dug up are only worth $5 to $20, and maybe one in a hundred is worth more. The true value lies in the story that each item tells us about our ancestors—how it was made, why it was used, how it was discarded, and how it was found.

If you are looking for places to dig that are legal, remember that just because an archaeology firm has conducted an excavation on private land, for an environmental report, doesn’t mean they found everything. Try to get permission to dig through their tailings. Or think about how many septic tanks or pipes need to be dug up on a job site, private homes or commercial —get permission to go through the fill dirt piles where they lie.

The overall message is this: if you’re digging for dollars, you’re missing out on the coolest part of the hobby—the stories, the history, and the chance to glimpse into the lives of the men, women, and children who came before us by reconstructing their lives through the items we uncover.

Concluding the Interview

I would like to thank BottleNed for his informative videos, his enthusiasm for documenting Old West history, and his extensive knowledge of bottles and the history behind them. BottleNed puts a lot of effort into his videos, handling all the filming, research (including historical clips), editing, and voiceovers himself. Please support him by watching and subscribing to his channel. He shares valuable tips that can enhance the skills of bottle diggers, archaeologists, historians, and metal detectorists alike.