There are certain procedures that must (legally) be followed if you decide to decommission an old dug well. Decommission in this case is a fancy state sponsored way of saying filling up an old well. I never filled an old well but apparently there are state authorized well de-commissioners, and strict rules that must be followed. An old well can be a very frightening thing when you inadvertently stumble upon one around an old abandoned homestead. In my years of photographing old barns and houses I have had occasion to encounter more than a few. I have learned to be very careful after nearly falling into one a few years back.That reminds me of an old Red Skelton joke from many years ago. At that time one of the soap companies had a commercial that went something like "for the first time in your life, be really clean." In Red's skit a guy fell into a well and Red started humming, "For the first time in your life be really clean." The audience howled.
In the old pioneer days wells were dug by pick and shovel and were usually fenced in or had a wall built around them. Deep wells were usually pretty wide in diameter because during the digging there had to be enough room to swing a pick and use a long handled shovel. When excavation for the well was first started the dirt could be thrown out with the shovel. As the hole became deeper the dirt was placed in a bucket and pulled to the top by a rope. As the well became deeper, there was a very real danger of the walls collapsing. It could take weeks, or months to build deeper wells. When the digging was completed, the well was often lined with stone or brick to prevent the walls from collapsing. These wells were THE source of drinking water for the pioneer family and their animals. When the pioneers moved on the wells were usually covered or fenced in, but after a few years the fences and/or walls around the well decayed and left a yawning hole in the earth that might be from 3 feet to 5 feet wide and anywhere from ten to thirty feet deep or more. Needless to say this could be very dangerous. When I encounter an uncovered well I always report it to the County Officials, usually the county sheriff. Hopefully they will follow through and make sure the well is filled to prevent accidents from happening.
What is the point of me writing all this you ask? Probably so when you're hiking in the woods you will pay attention to where you are stepping. That reminds me of when I was a kid and we would play softball in a cow pasture. It was mighty tough catching a pop fly and watching where you were stepping at the same time, but that's a story for another day.
The old well on the right probably isn't too deep because its not wide enough for serious digging.
encounter more than a few. I have learned to be very careful after nearly falling into one a few years back.That reminds me of an old Red Skelton joke from many years ago. At that time one of the soap companies had a commercial that went something like "for the first time in your life, be really clean." In Red's skit a guy fell into a well and Red started humming, "For the first time in your life be really clean." The audience howled.
When the pioneers moved on the wells were usually covered or fenced in, but after a few years the fences and/or walls around the well decayed and left a yawning hole in the earth that might be from 3 feet to 5 feet wide and anywhere from ten to thirty feet deep or more. Needless to say this could be very dangerous. When I encounter an uncovered well I always report it to the County Officials, usually the county sheriff. Hopefully they will follow through and make sure the well is filled to prevent accidents from happening.