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Connors find treasures under old outhouses
By Sue Stout
John Connor recently shared the story of his decades-long hobby with his Arcola United Methodist Church family. Connor is a privy/outhouse/pit latrine digger. Yes, he excavates defunct outhouse sites to locate historical artifacts, which often tell a bit of the local history. Before indoor plumbing, residents were known to intentionally toss their bottles, broken tableware, food containers and other unwanted items into their outhouse pits. Little did they know “diggers” like John Connor would recover their antiques more than a century later.
Connor has been digging outhouse sites for some 35-40 years. A business friend initially introduced him to bottle collecting, and his enthusiasm for that hobby led to bottle digging, as well as their continued friendship. Connor even admits he and his wife, Lori, spent some time bottle digging on their 1990 honeymoon in Memphis, Tennessee. He has excavated more than 30 outhouse sites in Mattoon, with additional locations in Arcola, Tuscola, Hindsboro and Humboldt.
Years ago, Connor suspected a depressed area at the rear of the south lawn at the Arcola United Methodist Church might be the site of an abandoned outhouse. After receiving trustee permission to excavate, a tile probe confirmed his suspicions. He began his dig with shovels on Friday afternoon, March 27th, with the help of mentee Bryan Thomas. Their work continued through the following afternoon with the assistance of John’s wife, Lori Connor, Pastor Seth and Ramey Emerson, Alex, Lexi and Daisie Thomas, Joanna Laffey and Eric Veach. Many interested church members stopped by to observe the excavation and some expressed their interest in future digs. One unknown spectator’s enthusiasm landed him in the pit to dig his own bottle.
Connor volunteers he would have been satisfied to locate as many as 30 relics from the 3’ X 6’ X 5.5’ deep excavation site at the church. He was amazed to unearth a large concentrate of 370 intact glass pharmacy, condiment, alcohol and various other bottles, as well as other items from the “bottle dump” of the 1895-1910 era. Many of the 370 bottles acquired from Connor’s outhouse dig on the Arcola UMC lot were made available to church members at the time of his May 3rd presentation and display.
He was most pleased to locate glass bottles with the embossed names of former Arcola pharmacies, including a bottle from the W.P. Boyd Pharmacy (1867-1899) and another from the Al Magnusson Pharmacy of 1899 to the early 20th century. His most prolific pharmacy bottle finds were from the J.J. Armstrong Pharmacy of 1893-1917, with an additional seven bottles from the Wide Awake Drug Store, which was an Arcola business from 1899 to around 1909-1911.
Who lived at the location of the dig at the time these artifacts were thrown into the outhouse pit? Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps of Arcola, showing detailed information about properties and buildings for the years 1887, 1892, 1897, 1907 and 1914 were provided by Nancy Rairden. The original frame Methodist Episcopal Church at 121 South Locust Street (1865-1900) is depicted in the maps of 1887, 1892 and 1897, while the 1907 and 1914 maps display the footprint of the current brick church that was built at the same site in 1900. The maps indicate a frame home occupied the lot to the south in 1887, but the original date of the dwelling and its owner is unknown. The maps also show the home’s footprint was the same in the 1887, 1892 and 1897 maps, but changed in the 1907 and 1914 maps. It is suspected a different frame home was erected sometime between 1897 and 1907.
Arcola United Methodist Church history confirms Rev. A.B. Peck lived in a tent on the Walter and Dora Beggs Apperson family lawn on the south side of the Methodist Church in 1908 after the original church parsonage at the northeast corner of Sheldon and Washington Streets had been sold that same year. The Appersons were married in 1882 and had three children, James, Dora Estelle and Walter. Dora Apperson passed away in 1923 and her husband, Walter, in 1926. Their daughter, Estelle, was born in 1887, did not marry and lived in their home at the time of her parents’ deaths. Estelle Adams came to live in the Apperson home in 1923. The two “Stelles” were Methodist church members and lived together in the Apperson home south of the church from 1923 until Adams’ death at home in 1967. Estelle Apperson died in 1969 and shares a headstone with Adams in the Arcola Township Cemetery.
The Apperson family residence was given to the church in the later 1960s with the stipulation that Apperson and Adams be allowed to live in the home as long as needed. After their deaths, the house was rented and eventually torn down in 1980/1981. The lot has been vacant since that time and is used for additional parking and special outdoor events at the church.
Connor relates he originally kept everything he excavated in his digs, but has acquired so many artifacts over the decades he is unable to keep them all. His plan is to keep only as many bottles as he is able to display. That total is now well over 100, including 16 Arcola bottles representing 6 different drug stores/pharmacies.
Lori Connor has participated in many digs with her husband over the years. While she does have a similar interest in the bottles, she also enjoys finding other artifacts, such as china, pottery, marbles, tableware, etc. Their son, Ian, participated in digs with John quite a bit when he was younger, while their daughter, Bailey, has expressed more interest in the hobby in recent years.
Bottle digging enthusiasts share their common interests at bottle shows. John has participated in many shows as both an attendee and a vendor at the regional and national level. He enjoys the interaction with customers and fellow dealers, and occasionally finds a bottle to add to his own collection. Social media also offers great opportunities to communicate with other collectors and bottle diggers.
When he is not digging, Connor can be found at JBH, Inc., in Arcola, where he is Director of Sales and Operations. He has found it rewarding to introduce others to outhouse bottle digging and collecting for so many years, and adds he is always looking for new locations to dig. Connor may be reached at [email protected].