Skip to content
Video

Meet the Dunphys, who uncovered a trove of artifacts buried in the privies below their Philly home

Melissa and Matt Dunphy, who call themselves “citizen archaeologists,” fell down the rabbit hole of privy digging about a decade ago after they bought a shuttered magic theater in Old City with a deed dating back to 1745 and began to renovate. The construction workers uncovered two privies on their property, one of which the Dunphys excavated right away. Since then, they’ve dug six more privies in the vicinity and launched a podcast, "The Boghouse," about their discoveries. The Dunphys are amateurs who have not formally studied archaeology, but they are brimming with intellectual curiosity and knowledge about what they’ve found.
Published 
    Esra Erol
    Instagram
    Bluesky
    I’m the Senior Editor of Social Storytelling. I work with our newsroom's talented social media team to unpack stories and engage audiences across The Inquirer's branded social media accounts.