Can anyone tell me what this is? It is a sloped pit full of water and appears to be roughly a foot deep. This is from the basement of a home built in 1890.
Cistern to collect rain water?
Cheers
Humidifier, can also serve as an indoor pond for Koi 
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That was my initial thought but cisterns are typically a lot larger I thought.
No matter what its original purpose, it is now a bad idea and should be eliminated in some fashion, by pumping, sump pit and pump, or something else.
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Agreed. That is what was put in the report. Thanks
It is where you would shovel coal into a coal-fired furnace.
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Is that a drain at bottom? If it is, then it’s a blocked drain.
From here in SW Ohio that appears to be a pool of water, 
most likely as a result of a either a clogged drain or a clogged or collapsed lateral.
I recommend lateral inspections on every home that is 25 YO or older.
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What is that? Did you get an idea of what it might be?
Homes built in 1890 relied on coal to heat rooms. Just a guess but it could be a coal pit.
How many chimney flues?
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It is a cistern for when it was cold out. The family’s livestock would be brought in, down a stone ramp and this would be their water supply. Have seen several of these. Sometimes it was warmer and cheaper to have the animals in the basement than building a barn.
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Afternoon, Brian.
To me, it looks like a garbage can lid.
Hope that helps.
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Pollywog eggs. 
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I was just doing some Google searching on “basement cistern” and my vote is for the 19th century cistern.
Under garbage can lids? 
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