Good to be back! + incedible once in a liftime relic find!

[ncsilverspider]

Good to be back! + incedible once in a liftime relic find! (UPDATED: CLEANED!)

Hello everyone!

It has been awhile since I posted on here, and by awhile, I mean over two years... life got extremely busy. I've been wanting to come back for a long time, but just wasn't able to for various reasons.

Hunting's been slow due to detector issues, so I've mainly been hunting bottles and looking on the ground, which actually produces some of my best finds. it certainly did recently.

As I posted ages ago, I live along the double track mainline of Norfolk Southern's Piedmont Division, ex- Southern Railway. Recently, many of the old Southern signals have been replaced with newer signals. A lot of ground has been moved in order to put these new signals up, which has turned up several interesting relics, including something I've dreamed of for years.

The city of Salisbury was the site of many a fight during the Civil War, including a Confederate prison. While most things were found/destroyed during construction of the railroad, a few things survived. Recently I was train watching in Salisbury where workers had finished putting up a signal a few hours earlier. While walking back to my car, I saw an odd round ball with a hole in the top. I pulled it out of the ground and saw that it had apparently exploded. It was heavy iron and pitted. I had my suspicion but didn't get my hopes up. Nether the less, I had it checked by a Civil War expert. Turns out my suspicion was correct. It's the remains of a six inch borman fuse cannonball once containing grape shot. Never did I expect to find a 65% percent complete cannonball, let alone WITH MY EYES!

the cannonball is currently in electrolysis to preserve it. Here's a pic of me holding it before starting it

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I just wanted to share and return to this awesome site. Hopefully I will be able to post here more often. thanks for looking and God Bless!

-ncsilverspider

"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" - Mathew 6:21

 

[ncsilverspider]

I found the historical info for you. When the Yankees captured Salisbury they burned almost everything, including the Salisbury Arsenal and large stockpiles of Confederate ammunition. Two trainloads of Confederate military supplies escaped just before the surrender, another was captured and destroyed.
Stoneman's Raid: Salisbury and the Yadkin River Bridge
From that webpage's historical reports about the yankee burning of captured Salisbury NC:
Stoneman's second-in command, [yankee] Brig. Gen. Alvan C. Gillem, recorded "from the preceding afternoon up to [2:00 p.m. on the 13th], the air had been constantly rent by the reports of exploding shells and burning [ammunition] magazines.

This just gets better and better! The Yadkin River bridge is only a few miles down the road from my house. The railroad bridge is used by Norfolk Southern's double tracked mainline in the Piedmont Division. Trains use it to enter Linwood yard from Spencer. Fantastic place to watch trains.

Given the information you provided, it's very possible a burning ammunition train is how the shell got there. I really can't thank you enough!!

 

[Ronson]

This just gets better and better! The Yadkin River bridge is only a few miles down the road from my house. The railroad bridge is used by Norfolk Southern's double tracked mainline in the Piedmont Division. Trains use it to enter Linwood yard from Spencer. Fantastic place to watch trains. Given the information you provided, it's very possible a burning ammunition train is how the shell got there. I really can't thank you enough!!

This has been a fun thread to follow. Congrats Spider, and love the info TCG!

 

[Goldiver]

Very cool find and great history behind it!

Steve

 

[treblehunter]

Sounds to me like you need to get back to that spot with a metal detector (Magnum) and search for more! Maybe Carolinatom is nearby you, I believe he has an extra detector also?
Cannonball, your a great guy helping out, very interesting thread. Very cool eyeball find.

 

[ncsilverspider]

Sounds to me like you need to get back to that spot with a metal detector (Magnum) and search for more! Maybe Carolinatom is nearby you, I believe he has an extra detector also?
Cannonball, your a great guy helping out, very interesting thread. Very cool eyeball find.

\

As much as I would love to hunt that spot, I'm afraid that is only a dream. The land I found this on not only belongs or is close to Norfolk Southern property, but the City of Salisbury, and is considered a historic landmark. I just had major dumb luck while train watching. Plus even if I could hunt there, the place is littered with railroad spikes, spike plates, nuts, bolts, giant screws, rivets, scrap iron, and who knows what else.

 

[ncsilverspider]

Just for fun, here is the shell before:


and here is the shell now:


Thanks again for looking. Happy Hunting and God Bless!

-ncsilverspider

"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." -Matthew 6:21

 

[ShovelNose]

Congrats on a great find. Seems everyone wants to supply a machine if you got the sites. I also am from the Charlotte area and have been MDing in your area lately and will be back there next week when it cools down some. I have permission to hunt some older yards in your area. Have pulled some Barber dimes and IH pennies there. A who;e bunch of history in that area. HH JR