Mystery! Solve it if you can.

[smokeythecat]

I've been detecting a new site which had prehistoric activity all the way through today. Found where there was an old building, long gone, only a depression in a field. Not extremely far from a saltwater estuary, a couple of us have found 17th century, 18th century and mid to late 19th century items mingled together. There is a lot of iron, area was a trading post of sorts, and there are no relics dating from after 1785 or so till about 1860. No flat buttons with backmarks, no US colonial coins, no US silvers pre Civil War, no US large cents, no early 19th century pottery, lots of oyster shells, no American Indian artifacts (so far). And then lots of kerosene lamp parts, harmonica reeds, mid to late 19th century flow blue china pieces, ironstone, etc. Where are the items from 1790-1860?

 

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[coinman123]

I have a site like that, tons of stuff from between around 1710 and 1790. Huge gap until the 1860's when there are more artifacts, and farming equipment until the 1950's. The 18th century finds are more common and diverse, the people who were around that site in the 18th century looked to have had much more money too. I found a solid silver engraved shoe buckle even. It seems many different people frequented there making me think that there was an old meeting house of some sort there, which I think I might have confirmed through town records. I am almost sure that there was a farm there later on, in the 1860's through 1950's, I even found an old 1910's trash pile with a lot of old farm stuff, including a plow. Perhaps something similar is going on at your site.

 

[smokeythecat]

Yes, pre 1800 there seems to have been more coinage in circulation. The population grew and even through the Civil War coins were still scarce. Even in colonial times coins were always it seems in a shortage situation. The "colonial" coppers like from Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey etc. were issued to make up for a lack of coinage. My Red Book even lists a "church penny" from a church in Albany, NY.

 

[cw0909]

maybe the estuary was dug made wider, dirt moved farther in from your hunt

 

[smokeythecat]

Estuary is 2 miles away. This overlooks a freshwater creek. It's like nobody went there for over 75 years.

 

[ivan salis]

likely if there was any activity during that time frame there --it was on a trade / barter basis --thus money was not used ==however with a total lack of any items at all from that time frame being found at all -- the area may not have been in use during that period of time --it might be a "dead time frame" with little to no activity there

 

[Duckshot]

Your lack of artifacts coincides with fighting off the North American Indian.

The United States Census Bureau (1894) provided their estimate of deaths due specifically to war during the 102 years between 1789 and 1891, including 8,500 natives and 5,000 whites killed in "individual affairs"

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Indian_Wars

That might or might not be pertinent.