Archeology with dogs

When we first moved here we bought a big, pre-built shed and had it moved here because all the old outbuildings on the property had been demolished. This shed became part of the dog yard. I built cozy nest boxes inside that we fill with straw in the winter, making very nice shelter for the dogs. It also holds most of my tools and the dog food storage locker. We sited it fairly close to the house so it would be convenient and I built a fence that incorporated the shed, creating our primary dog yard. 

Not long after the shed was put in, a sinkhole developed under it. Gravel from the pad under the shed disappeared into it along with a few concrete blocks. It was entirely under the shed but near one end so the shed itself never seemed to be in danger of falling in or collapsing from lack of support. It became a nuisance, however, because things would disappear into this hole never to return. I contemplated filling it in with dirt or gravel, but I hesitated because I know that with true sinkholes filling them in can cause even more subsidence. In any event it seemed to stabilize and wasn't getting any deeper or larger. 

I can't get into the hole, nor would I want to, but I looked into it one day and realized it was probably a well, not actually a sinkhole. It's about three to four feet in diameter, circular, and it's lined with stones. It looks like a classic well that you'd expect to see a bucket hanging above to be lowered down for water. This is an old farmhouse, built before the Civil War, so I expect that's exactly what it is. 

My problem is that Max drops things down into it, sometimes by accident, but I think sometimes on purpose, as a place to stash his prize balls, sticks, and the occasional food dish. I have fished things out of it before, mostly food dishes, but today I went after the collection of Jolly Balls that had found their way down there.

I got Clay to come help because I knew he wouldn't want to miss out on this, and he proved helpful in suggesting the use of the kayak paddle to help retrieve the balls. It was long and light weight, and the combination of the paddle and the pitchfork used like oversized chopsticks enabled us to retrieve one food dish and all but one of the Jolly Balls. There's still a great many tennis balls down there but I'm not going to bother with them. There's at least one more food dish that is mostly buried and probably more that are. 

If I could jack the shed up enough to put a long support beam under it, excavating the fill from the old well would be a fascinating history project. It's unlikely that we'd find someone's family jewels or silver stashed down there to hide it from the Yankees - this is an old farmhouse in Fluvanna County after all, not Tara from "Gone with the Wind," but it would be interesting.

The dogs were happy to have the Jolly Ball supply replenished. It was canine treasure of a sort.

When Serena runs into the pasture she immediately looks around for one of the

big Jolly Balls with a rope. They have been getting scarce around here lately.

Here's the hole under the shed as it appears from outside. There's only about a one foot wide

opening. I was always scared that the dogs would go down there but ours never did.

We did have one foster dog who would dive down in there and scramble back out just as fast.

She would bring back tennis balls that Max or Theo had dropped in there.

Here's the view starting out today. Notice all the rocks lining the hole?

It's not terribly deep but the access point is small and it's tough to reach anything.

The concrete blocks had been around the edge of the shed, they fell in when the 

ground beneath subsided. 

The last ball didn't have a rope through it and it evaded our efforts today.

There are probably a hundred tennis balls in there. I'd like to get the concrete block out

and the last big ball anyway. The tennis balls can stay.