Stacked Stones (Pics)

[FlagCraig]

I am doing metal detecting on an 1860 farmhouse and surrounding property (middle TN).

In many places I am finding stacked stones. Many near multiple trees and some just in certain areas.

Any ideas on why.

Thanks.

[Tpmetal]

I am doing metal detecting on an 1860 farmhouse and surrounding property (middle TN).

In many places I am finding stacked stones. Many near multiple trees and some just in certain areas.

Any ideas on why.

Thanks.

had to put the stones from clearing the fields somewhere. otherwise you keep breaking your plow and blades, some were just hucked into piles, others were stacked into walls, others lined gardens or outlined trees, the nice ones became part of the house foundation. Hard work making land farmable.

[Icewing]

I'll second what Tpmetal said.

[A2coins]

I would still dig it could be some old bills lol

[A2coins]

Welcome also

[kc8ubw]

Just moved from West Michigan. We were close to the old Big Prairie Desert. Property was sand, rocks and cactus.
After we bought the property I explored a bit and I noticed stacks of rocks here and there. I mentioned this to one of the area old timers and he told me that long ago landowners would stack stones to mark property borders. Also that if I found small piles of rocks that signified something of interest to whomever piled them, ie: spot where a deer was harvested, etc.
Then too as someone pointed out when clearing fields the rocks had to go someplace.
DAMN I miss that place.

[FlagCraig]

had to put the stones from clearing the fields somewhere. otherwise you keep breaking your plow and blades, some were just hucked into piles, others were stacked into walls, others lined gardens or outlined trees, the nice ones became part of the house foundation. Hard work making land farmable.

This makes sense. Probably should have figured that out.

Also when I have been deep in the woods I have found the stack stones mostly against trees.
Could this be to mark a spot for some reason?

Thanks.

[Tpmetal]

This makes sense. Probably should have figured that out.

Also when I have been deep in the woods I have found the stack stones mostly against trees.
Could this be to mark a spot for some reason?

Thanks.

If it's only one tree in the area, then maybe a marker of some sort. Sometimes tree roots push up rocks around trees as well in certain ground conditions.

[smokeythecat]

I agree with all that's been said. Some of our misc. piles of rocks in VA are old Civil War huts.

[against the wind]

Welcome to the forum from Port Allegheny, Pennsylvania

[chub]

stacks of stones are ideal places to run your detector over to look for meteorites...

chub

[Lost_Adams]

I agree with all the above. When I was building Forest Service Trails in the '70s-'90s, I would pile/stack rock on the down side of the trail to help shore it up.
IF You get a GUT Feeling about something while in the field, Then I would recommend checking it out. If you find Nothing then that place is scratched off your list. If you Don't then it will always be a Question in the back of your mind and keep bugging you for not checking it out.
That is the worst kind of mental torture, especially if the Target Area is at a remote location.
It's the same as what Lucille Bowen and Charles Garrett said back in the 90's when She was teaching me to metal detect. I also used the Discrimination Button in my Head (eyeball) to tell me what I had detected. The Only 100% method is the Eyeball on the target in your hand. Charles said in his manual for the Scorpion Gold Stinger that it would take 100 hours to learn the machine so you had confidence in your machine. Lucy told me to DIG EVERY Target till I could tell reasonably what was in the ground by the sound. After a couple of months using the Scorpion I was over 4000 coins a month. This number was what was required to enter the Big Boys Contest at the North West Treasure Hunters club meetings.
I sure Miss those days in Spokane and around there, especially the 49 North Ski Area. We got up there when the snow was melted down to 1" deep and All the coins and Jewelry were in little melted circles. We Eye Balled $40 in coins and bunches of jewelry. We were at the upper lift tower.

[Professor of Engineering]

Tpmetal "hit the nail on the head"

[pa-dirt_nc-sand]

I see a few random large stones by larger trees often in the old woods. I assume these were lifted to the surface by the tree growth. I sometimes see random piles in the woods and assume they were moved and discarded there by farmers a century ago. Actual stacked stones for a foundation (1800’s) are usually still identifiable in my parts. What throws me off is I often find tree limbs stacked in piles or somewhat organized limbs leaning against trees deep in the old woods. I always wonder if these are occurring naturally, by hunters or other MD’ers clearing some swinging ground.