Old fort discovered? -PICTURES, good story

DiggItUp

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Mar 9, 2013
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Not sure if this is in the right section or not, but this is the most fitting section I could find. If it isn't, I apologize.

It all started a few years ago. I was 15, and am 17 now. My friend's family owns a camp on the Clarion River (Pennsylvania) in the mountains. The first time I visited, it was a hot summer day and we went down to swim in the river. We were maybe a mile down from where the normal swimming spot was when I spotted something. A stone structure, just off the shoreline. I swam to shore, eager to see what it was. I was barely able to see it because of all the overgrowth. I had discovered some sort if large stone wall or structure that was multi tiered. At the time, I had just gotten into detecting and had not thought to bring my detector. We explored it for some time, then left, vowing to return with my detector. Although we returned to his camp several times (maybe seven?) we could never relocate it.

. . .

Until now. Just this weekend, we returned (although still without the detector as it was very overgrown) and trekked through the mountainous terrain and down the river in search of the structure. I spotted it. Finally, in years literally of searching we had found it. It was still very overgrown, dominated by rhododendron plants like vines. Leaves from autumn were on the ground, perhaps shrouding clues that may have been on the ground. The stones were large. Very large. I'd say 3 ft. long, 1 ft. high and 1 ft. thick. There was a wall down near the shore, and then other walls above it, like levels built into the cliff side. Here are the pictures you have been waiting for:


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The first pic is the wall on the shoreline, and the last one is of a wall on the upper tier. The middle is a crease in one of the walls (I forget which).






I also found very few bricks (1-3) with minimal searching that appeared very primitive and crudely made. Pennsylvania is very historical state, occupied by many different forces throughout history. The style and appearance of the structure leads me to believe it is colonial or pre-colonial. The camp owners have heard people tell them it is an old French fort, but I am not sure how accurate this is or how reliable the source is. I am not even sure if this is a fort, although it appears very much so to be. I plan to return in early spring to detect, so the foliage isn't too evasive. Any thoughts on what this actually is or how old? Thanks.
 

desertmoons

Bronze Member
Apr 16, 2008
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Wow..what a great story. So... could they be terraces? Meant to hold soil back for farming? Could they be used as fortification? Are there holes they could shoot through, or are the walls short enough to shoot over? Is it suitable for a grist mill type of thing? Did logging go on in the area? Is the river navigable? How large a vessel could travel it? These are the sort of questions I would ask myself.

Some work surely went into that. A permanent structure...is it just three terraced walls? Did other walls get torned down? Best make a litte survey map of what you have.

Research on the lead of a French fort would be a good thing to do. Use google books and search on free books will get you early books that might give a clue.

Finally,maybe there is an old homestead up above all three walls on top of the hill or bank....
 

Springfield

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Apr 19, 2003
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Yeah ... what mooney said. Plot the outlines of the ruins to get an idea of their extent. Beat the bushes inside and around the structure to see what other ruins may exist nearby. Get a good location on the site and check the county courthouse parcel maps to see who owns/owned the land - follow its paper trail as far back as possible. This part may be easy if the Assessor's office is well-organized.

Check with local/state historians for information. The camp folks claimed it was a French fort - maybe the local experts know for sure. If it was, which Native Americans were they protecting themselves from? If it was something else, it must have been important in its day and probably generated comment. You may need to dig into the French history in the area, and other early settlers/explorers too. This part could eat up a lot of time and energy.

It sure looks like a cool discovery and a fun project.
 

G

gman17

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Just a suggestion, could of been an old mill. I've seen walls like that around here, with big stones, for the mill dam.
 

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calisdad

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Sep 8, 2010
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Good post. I'd lean towards it being a mill site as well due to it's proximity to water.

Enjoy your future hunts there.
 

OP
OP
DiggItUp

DiggItUp

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Mar 9, 2013
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So, from what you guys are saying, it appears many of you believe it is indeed either a fort or a mill from colonial times. If there are any artifacts here, I am worried of how deep they could be or the amount of trash there (from people screwing around down there will beer cans etc.?). I am pretty busy with school and sports and work so not really time to research. I definitely be hunting it this spring though. Thanks guys, and keep the comments coming!
 

dsty

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Dec 2, 2007
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If I was looking for a dump I would look for a nearby ravine and use a pitch fork with 4 tine's an be gentle with the probe, sides generally more productive
 

Bum Luck

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May 24, 2008
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Go through the property records. It'll save you time.

French forts were usually upright wood posts.
 

Shortstack

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dsty and Bum Luck posted some good advice. If there's a trash dump for that location, look in any ravine handy as well as down stream bank for the creek / river. In some ways, folks were a little lazy when it came to trash disposal and would take the easy way out by throwing stuff over a handy bank somewhere close. Or, just walk to a spot out of sight, into some handy woods and start piling it in the same location.......out of sight, out of mind. LOL

Use a metal detector to search the leaves and undergrowth for any metallic bits still surviving. It may be a good idea to do your initial searching during the winter, when snakes are in their dens for the cold weather. If they are caught out somewhere, they'll be sluggish in the cold and maybe can't strike you. If you have to wait until warm weather comes around, invest in a good pair of snake proof boots that come up to just below the knee and a good pair of leather palmed work gloves for handling any rusty metal pieces and broken glass. Just watch where you put your hands if you're reaching into old deadfalls and leave piles. If you live in an area that has water moccasins, be extra cautious. Moccasins.....especially Cottonmouths. They do not run from man. If they are on the hunt for food, they will come AT you. Cottonmouths are BORN with really BAD attitudes.

If (or when) you find a trash pile, use a good quality leaf rake to rake away the over burden of leaves and tree trash. A stiff tined garden rake would be more aggravating than helpful. They catch on every little root and grass clump. The limber tines of a good leaf rake will "ride over" a lot of the roots and such. PLUS, the leaf rake usually won't cause any damage to bottles and other collectibles that may be laying around on top of the ground, hidden by leaves, etc.
 

dave sharky

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Aug 27, 2013
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put some effort in to that spot i,m sure it will pay off good hunting with detector and for deer good luck:>)
 

Citiboy289

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Great Find !!! Seems to me it could be some sort of structure connected to a RAILROAD , Looks to well cut to be primitive , Possible bridge approach footing or some sort of water tower footing since in both cases it is by a creek ALSO maybe something to due with a MILL ? The water location is the key in this adventure Good luck research the area
 

Peyton Manning

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Dec 19, 2012
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yep check the other side of the river
 

OP
OP
DiggItUp

DiggItUp

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Mar 9, 2013
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Thanks guys! Just itching to get back out there in the spring. Way too cold now, but I'm pretty optimistic I'll find something that will clue me in on what the structure actually was...
 

fronjm05

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May 8, 2013
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Hopefully you marked the location in your GPS this time so you dont lose it again! haha. Cool find. Some more pics will be nice, maybe a wider view so we can see how big this thing is.
 

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