"Betsy" -0 wrote in message
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snip
The house is over 100 years old. There is no apparent drain pipe in that
area, although I'm told the previous owner put some kind of exterior
French
drain around the house at some point. This is Baltimore, theoretically
clay
soil, although the soil in the hole is soft and sandy. It has been VERY
rainy for the last 2 years.

EGADS! PANIC! HELP!

Since your house is 100 years old why not contact your county Historical
Society to see what was on your property 100 years ago. Could be you have
an old drainage pipe or culvert or ancient sewer line long since been
abandoned that is still carrying water during high rain levels. Your
library might be of some help in finding old pictures or old town/city maps
of the area then. Or the county court house records. Even could be an old
creek that has long since dried up, filled in or could have been the city
dump.at what was the outskirts of town 100 years ago. If there was mining
of some sort in the area that would be of concern..

Wil