DownNDirty
Bronze Member
With the temperatures being so mild lately I have been taking advantage of the good weather by continuing to explore my 2,000 acre permission. A couple of weeks ago a buddy and I went on a scouting expedition that turned up three more home sites. The first one was very close to where I found a Prussian musket butt plate recently. This one was apparently an 1800s site; a few minutes after we found a nail bed he dug an 1873 seated dime. A few minutes later, about 20 feet away I got a good signal and dug a small domed button. After rubbing some dirt off of the front I saw a Palmetto tree
Later on it cleaned up very well
It's a South Carolina staff officer's cuff button, SC26 in Albert's book. Probably made during the Civil War or shortly after. There is still a piece of thread wrapped around the shank-pretty cool
Later we headed out to scout a high ridge that had been clear cut; it had home site written all over it. After hiking up that hill we named it "Heartbreak Ridge" because it is one heck of a climb. On the crest of the ridge, sure enough there were sign of a house-pottery shards and brick.
Soon we were digging flat buttons (most without back marks) and square nails so we new we had found another Colonial home site. I found five buttons, and one was a ball button with the back missing. I also found an unusual-looking silver plated disk with a scalloped design-maybe a rosette?
Here are my finds from the ridge, which included part of a small pair of scissors
Later in the day we rode an old logging road through the woods and decided to investigate a small semi-cleared area that looked promising. The first signal my buddy dug was an axe; then my first signal was a large iron buckle
Other than a bunch of iron and a 1940 wheatie that was about it.
A few days later I did a Scrappy dig (less than two hours
) at another 1700s site. I managed to find several interesting relics, including a very ornate keyhole cover (possibly from a jewelry box) and the back of a horse harness ornament
I also found a table knife and the fourth pewter spoon handle from this very early site
A mystery item was this long, thin iron needle/rod that has split on the end with a small hole through it; any id help would be appreciated
The next excursion took me back to Heartbreak Ridge to swing the coil on the 18th century site. The hunt produced three flat buttons, one with full silver plating on the front, an iron "D" buckle, a tiny brass buckle and an interesting forged iron hasp
Last Saturday I once again made the long hike up Heartbreak Ridge, this time carrying my sifter, shovel, probe and magnet, hoping to find and sift a trash pit. By the time I got to the top I was thinking of renaming it "Heart Attack Ridge"
Unfortunately I didn't locate a pit but tried a small area with very limited results. I did find part of an embossed 18th century medicine bottle and a broken arrowhead; I wish the bottle had been whole.
The find of the day was a round buckle that I later learned is called an "annular" buckle-a very early variety. 1720 or before.
I also found what looks like a lock plate/keyhole with a very ornate silvered brass frame-at least that's what it looks like to me. Any ideas?
A pewter button and two brass thimbles rounded out the day's finds
After descending the ridge I looked for a well that the landowner had told me about. I finally found it, in a low spot surrounded by three hills
To be continued...
Later on it cleaned up very well
It's a South Carolina staff officer's cuff button, SC26 in Albert's book. Probably made during the Civil War or shortly after. There is still a piece of thread wrapped around the shank-pretty cool
Later we headed out to scout a high ridge that had been clear cut; it had home site written all over it. After hiking up that hill we named it "Heartbreak Ridge" because it is one heck of a climb. On the crest of the ridge, sure enough there were sign of a house-pottery shards and brick.
Soon we were digging flat buttons (most without back marks) and square nails so we new we had found another Colonial home site. I found five buttons, and one was a ball button with the back missing. I also found an unusual-looking silver plated disk with a scalloped design-maybe a rosette?
Here are my finds from the ridge, which included part of a small pair of scissors
Later in the day we rode an old logging road through the woods and decided to investigate a small semi-cleared area that looked promising. The first signal my buddy dug was an axe; then my first signal was a large iron buckle
Other than a bunch of iron and a 1940 wheatie that was about it.
A few days later I did a Scrappy dig (less than two hours
) at another 1700s site. I managed to find several interesting relics, including a very ornate keyhole cover (possibly from a jewelry box) and the back of a horse harness ornament
I also found a table knife and the fourth pewter spoon handle from this very early site
A mystery item was this long, thin iron needle/rod that has split on the end with a small hole through it; any id help would be appreciated
The next excursion took me back to Heartbreak Ridge to swing the coil on the 18th century site. The hunt produced three flat buttons, one with full silver plating on the front, an iron "D" buckle, a tiny brass buckle and an interesting forged iron hasp
Last Saturday I once again made the long hike up Heartbreak Ridge, this time carrying my sifter, shovel, probe and magnet, hoping to find and sift a trash pit. By the time I got to the top I was thinking of renaming it "Heart Attack Ridge"
Unfortunately I didn't locate a pit but tried a small area with very limited results. I did find part of an embossed 18th century medicine bottle and a broken arrowhead; I wish the bottle had been whole.
The find of the day was a round buckle that I later learned is called an "annular" buckle-a very early variety. 1720 or before.
I also found what looks like a lock plate/keyhole with a very ornate silvered brass frame-at least that's what it looks like to me. Any ideas?
A pewter button and two brass thimbles rounded out the day's finds
After descending the ridge I looked for a well that the landowner had told me about. I finally found it, in a low spot surrounded by three hills
To be continued...
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