Family recently purchased a home in Western NC that has an old well. A 10’ concrete block covers it. Home dates back to early 1900’s. At one point was some type of boarding house. How would it have been used? Pale situation? Did they somehow tap it to get inside plumbing?
This question would be more appropriate for r/architecture, as it is asking about a specific feature from an individual property rather than broad historical trends in residential design. I’d post it there with a photo of the concrete block.