Centuries Old Artifacts Found on Lower East Side Construction Site

Scott Jordan with some of the find from the privy dig underneath the site of the former Bereket Turkish kebab restaurant.
Scott Jordan with some of the find from the privy dig underneath the site of the former Bereket Turkish kebab restaurant.
An old ginger beer bottle.
An old ginger beer bottle.
Broken pipes and plate fragments were among the finds in the old outhouse well.
Broken pipes and plate fragments were among the finds in the old outhouse well.
Sifting the privy soil for something good.
Sifting the privy soil for something good.
Scott Jordan, second from left, and Bob Perl, far right, at the dig site, with Jordan’s assistant, far left, and the construction-site foreman, second from right.
Scott Jordan, second from left, and Bob Perl, far right, at the dig site, with Jordan’s assistant, far left, and the construction-site foreman, second from right.

Underneath the old Bereket Turkish restaurant and current construction site on Houston and Orchard lies artifacts dating back to the 1860's.

The artifacts were found within an old outhouse, which were commonly used to hold both feces and other garbage. With the feces long gone, all that's left is centuries old artifacts waiting to be found.

According to L.E.S. documentarian Clayton Patterson, who covered the dig, the privy well’s sides were lined with brick, and the objects seen on this page were found about 5 feet down. The find included detritus that was 150 years old or more, including a ceramic ginger beer bottle, meerschaum clay tobacco pipes, plate fragments and small bottles for medicinal tinctures.

Check out the full article to read more about the find.

E Houston St & Orchard St
Matt Coneybeare

Matt Coneybeare

Editor in Chief

Matt enjoys exploring the City's with his partner and son. He is an avid marathon runner, and spends most of his time eating, running, and working on cool stuff.

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