Many people collect antiques, but a group from Western New York is digging deep to find their pieces of history in unexpected places.

Peter Jablonski is a bottle collector, and he along with others dig up what were once outhouses searching for glass bottles, ceramic jugs, tools, coins, toys and other items, some dating back from before the Civil War.

Doing the dirty work is a labor of love for these guys, who call themselves the Privy Diggers or Privy Meisters. 

"Not many people realize they have an old outhouse in their yards," Jablonski said.

The crew travels across the area, unearthing pieces of the past sometimes buried for more than a century by people who threw their garbage into the outhouse pits. They find medicine jars, beer bottles, tea pots and more, many of which were made right here in Western New York. 

"Everything unwanted would go into the outhouse," Jablonski said.

The diggers say it's completely safe and sanitary to dig up the outhouses pits.

"After 100 years all the bacteria is gone and it’s just fresh rich soil," said Brandon St. John, one of the diggers. "It's like treasure hunting for me. Every time you go in there you never know what you're going to find.”

Once they have a location and permission from the property owner, they probe a small area to find the outhouse. Then they dig, sometimes five to six feet deep, to carefully remove any pieces they turn up.

Some of the finds they keep for their own collections. Others go to places like historical societies to help teach the public about the past. Researching each item and learning where it came from is part of the thrill. 

"You don’t know who had it. The hands it was in. What it's been through, said digger Don Portik. "You almost feel a touch with history."

And it’s their mission to keep that hidden history of Western New York alive, by turning trash into treasure.

"It’s really like a time capsule in the backyard," Jablonski said.

The collectors are planning a trip to Fredonia this weekend to see what they can find at the former house of a Civil War-era Navy Seal.

They’re always looking for new spots to dig — in the city, the county, the suburbs — doesn’t matter. They do like to explore the grounds of former hotels and taverns because those privies were often larger and contain more artifacts.

If you know of one that might have some history buried below ground, or are interested in having them speak to students or community groups, you're encouraged to contact them by reaching Peter Jablonski at (716) 440-7985. More information is also available at the Greater Buffalo Bottle Collectors Association website.