✅ SOLVED Help with some more finds from late-1800s/early1900s site

[Scottdavid]

Help with more finds from late 1800s/early 1900s site

Hey fellow hunters! A trip today to my favorite spot in the woods led to these interesting items, which have stumped me. Previous finds at what is either an early dump site or bulldozed house suggest mid-to-late 1800s (possibly as early as 1850s) to the early 1900s (maybe up to 1914). Thanks so much for taking a look and replying - hope I'm not breaking any etiquette by posting more than a few "What is it?" items (my second batch this week) but if I am, please let me know.

Item 1 - A wheel and iron thing - I love this one because you can still see original wood that's part of the wheel part in between the iron sides.



Item 2 - Some kind of gaslight stand or top? - it's lightweight, maybe a copper nickel combo



Item 3 - Squashed tin cup with hole through middle, no clue on this one



Item 4 - Meat or fish hook hmmmm



Item 5 - Half an iron bowl, again no clue here, but feels like maybe water would have gone into it?



Item 6 - "The Weird Tail thing" - that says it all

 

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[Anduril]

I think Item #1 is just a wheel (caster).

 

[Scottdavid]

If an admin can delete this thread, so I can re-post with pics in correct orientation that would be great

 

[Scottdavid]

If an admin can delete this thread, so I can re-post with pics in correct orientation that would be great

Never mind, I fixed the issue

 

[Scottdavid]

I think Item #1 is just a wheel (caster).

Got it, okay - like this https://www.ebay.com/itm/ANTIQUE-IRON-FURNITURE-CASTERS-with-WOOD-WHEELS-19th-Century-1800s-Wow-/133011628206

 

[ANTIQUARIAN]

You're bang on with your assumption that these are all household related finds.
As Anduril already confirmed, your first relic is a furniture castor.
All of your finds show signs of fire/heat related damage, so it's likely the house burned and was then demolished.

Your second no-ferrous item is a likely a door knob escutcheon plate, the second brass item is probably from a electrical ceiling fixture.

I would suggest studying the topography of your location, look for depressions in the ground which may indicate the foundations of outbuildings or a filled in well location.
The periphery of your site will likely produce the most undamaged finds if the house burnt and was then bulldozed.

Dave

 

[Scottdavid]

You're bang on with your assumption that these are all household related finds.
As Anduril already confirmed, your first relic is a furniture castor.
All of your finds show signs of fire/heat related damage, so it's likely the house burned and was then demolished.

Your second no-ferrous item is a likely a door knob escutcheon plate, the second brass item is probably from a electrical ceiling fixture.

I would suggest studying the topography of your location, look for depressions in the ground which may indicate the foundations of outbuildings or a filled in well location.
The periphery of your site will likely produce the most undamaged finds if the house burnt and was then bulldozed.

Dave

Thanks much Dave. Had no idea about the fire damage but now I can see it. That’s the black crust I guess adhering around the iron? I’ve been searching hard but no foundations visible in that area. I do see a few scattered red bricks but not in any pattern. There is a hot spot of finds in a 5 ft square area, where all this is coming from, and more litter some distance away (like spilled and spread), but no depressions that I can see either. Would love to find that foundation!

 

[ANTIQUARIAN]

Hi Scott,
If the site has been bulldozed, you're not likely to find a foundation, this is why I suggest detecting the periphery areas a few hundred feet from where you're finding the burned material.
Foundations only exist if the the house had a stone foundation that was dug or partially set into the ground by the homesteaders.
The red bricks you're finding may have have been from the fireplace. The hot spot you located was likely a fire pit where trash was burned, it may also be the location of an outhouse.
I don't know where you or this site is located, but depending on the occupation of the homeowners (subsistence farmers, factory workers or just an old residential family home) there will be more to find.

Research the area, look at old plat maps.

“In the United States, a plat is a map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. United States General Land Office surveyors drafted township plats of Public Lands Surveys to show the distance and bearing between section corners, sometimes including topographic or vegetation information. It shows the land as subdivided into lots showing the location and boundaries of individual parcels with the streets, alleys, easements, and rights of use over the land of another. Usually a plat map is drawn after the property has been described by some other means, such as a government survey.”

Best of luck to you Scott,
Dave

PS. Here are pics of a site I detected for years prior to archeologists showing up to dig it. I learned a lot more about the sites history of occupation from what the arkies uncovered.

 

[xaos]

looks like a bunch of old lamp parts.