08/23/2026
The original hand dug well, which we discovered by accident 10 years ago, would have been accessed by a tip-bucket on a rope. That well had eroded to around 8’ in diameter for at least the top 14’ (that is as far as we excavated it). All that erosion made the well treacherous to use and added sediment to the water. So the well we found today was a modern wonder when it was installed. Instead of a tip-bucket, which for obvious reasons would not work in a 6” diameter pipe, the water was extracted by another modern marvel, a “bullet-bucket”. The bullet- bucket allowed water to enter through holes in the bottom as it sank. When the rope, that was attached to a rod that ran to the bottom bucket, was pulled the weight of the water would cause the valve on the bottom to shut. At the top of the well the bucket would be hung by the metal strap on its top, the center rod pushed down, thus releasing the water into a container. Easy living indeed!
