Back to the Woods - Sweet Colonial Button

[ModernMiner]

Well Folks, I made a long day trip Friday to one of my old stomping grounds back in the Raleigh area. It was a 4 hour drive each way, but my reason for going was twofold. I was dying to find another CW relic or two, and I also wanted to get some more 100+ yr old barn wood from the property. The property, approx 160 acres, just had all the pine trees logged so I was hoping the equipment may have turned up some more relics. It was actually even harder to detect than before due to the large tracks, ruts, and pine branches left everywhere. Everywhere I stepped looked like a prime spot for a snake to be hiding. L After I got my barn wood I detected for about six hours before having to drive back home. It was a long day.
The finds were pretty slim as I’ve detected this place for about 7 years now. I did score my best Colonial dandy button ever though. I had to move a rotted log, and dig it out from under a large tree root, but it was worth it.

My finds were:

*30mm Colonial dandy button with star design, missing shank.

*Brass button w/no back mark, no shank.
*1800’s padlock

*Chewed musket ball and melted camp lead

*1948 “Fort Dodge” rabies vaccine tag

*A heavy round lead piece with threaded glass inside. I thought it was a musket ball until I saw the glass. Any ideas what this may have been on?

Thanks for l@@king,
MM

 

[ModernMiner]

Awesome digs MM. I love the design on that button. Those Fort Dodge vaccine tags turn up quite a bit. Found one myself a few years back.

Thanks Evo. Where have you been? Years ago we were Tnet diehards.
Great to hear from you,
Doug

 

[ModernMiner]

Nice largie there Doug. It has a very similar design to the one I just found that I included in my last post, although mine was much smaller. Nice find!

Thanks Bill.
The area I dug this dandy at has always amazed me. Over the last 6 or 7 years I've pulled a variety of CW relics from this small area along a dirt path out in the woods, such as bullets (Enfields/ 3-ringers /musketballs) , lots of buttons, wedding bands, rifle lock plates, cannon ball frags, etc. There is a large mound of stones covered with dirt and large Oaks there. In the spring there are daffodils that pop up. I've always wondered if there was a structure there at one time. That spot always seems to turn up something. Two dandy buttons on my last two trips there.
Thanks for looking,
Doug

 

[Bill D. (VA)]

Thanks Bill.
The area I dug this dandy at has always amazed me. Over the last 6 or 7 years I've pulled a variety of CW relics from this small area along a dirt path out in the woods, such as bullets (Enfields/ 3-ringers /musketballs) , lots of buttons, wedding bands, rifle lock plates, cannon ball frags, etc. There is a large mound of stones covered with dirt and large Oaks there. In the spring there are daffodils that pop up. I've always wondered if there was a structure there at one time. That spot always seems to turn up something. Two dandy buttons on my last two trips there.
Thanks for looking,
Doug

Have you done any research to see what might have been at that spot?

 

[ModernMiner]

Have you done any research to see what might have been at that spot?

The land was actually part of a 640 acre plantation house back in the day. The plantation house is down the road and I've dug all kinds of relics there over the years including Colonial and CW (Union and Confederate). There is a very old cemetery on the property too with about 40 graves marked only with fieldstones. A Union camp was discovered close by a few years ago. I have found small patches over the years with bullets, buttons, melted camp lead, knapsack hooks, belt adjusters, etc. I have seen a few house sites and mills from the early 1800's on the old maps close by, but not exactly on this spot, except for the plantation house I mentioned. The current house on the property is from the 1930's but I know there used to be something a lot older than that there. There are a bunch of huge rectangular foundation stones next to the current house next to large oaks and a stream. The 160 acres is ideal for troops with woods, hills, and streams and creeks throughout the place. I'm fairly sure the CW relics I find were dropped there towards the end of the CW when Johnston's troops surrendered to Sherman. From this area, Union troops headed back north to VA.
It's been a very fun place to detect at over the years, and there are areas I haven't even been able to detect yet.
Thanks Bill,
Doug