Nail Identification from Concord Massachusetts

[WheatherOrNot]

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In our backyard in Concord Massachusetts we decided to dig a dead patch of grass and found a brick structure! From the archaeological dig, we found many types of nails. If anyone has any expertise in historic nail identification that would be so so helpful. From some quick research it seems we have machine cut nails with square heads and wire cute nails. I think the presence of both the nails suggest a time frame from the 1880s to the early 20th century. If anyone has anything to share please reply. The more knowledge the better!

 

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[villagenut]

I am not seeing any older forged nails in the batch....just some later 1800s square nails and some wire/coil nails which are more modern. You certainly live in a City full of historical sites. Should be some good old rose head nails out there somewhere.

 

[Professor of Engineering]

Nice display, thank you for sharing! Not seeing anything that old, but work your backyard with a metal detector and you will find some cool things!

 

[PetesPockets55]

Congratulations on following your curiosity about the dead patch of grass. Certainly no telling what might have come out of the ground.

I use to live in Ct. doing remodeling and helped a fellow contractor with a home reroof in Windsor Lockes. It was interesting looking at the nails to determine the age that different wings were added to the structure. We found framing nails that ran the gamut from long cut nails with no head, to cut nails with a head, to hefty coil stock nails with a thick head and even more modern (90's at the time) thin headed nails.

And my uncle sent me some nails he salvaged from a garbage pile while he was in france from a tructure built in the 1100's!!! They were long, very thin cut nails with no head.

 

[Digger RJ]

Interesting!

 

[vpnavy]

1st - I noticed this was your very first post - so, Welcome Aboard WheatherOrNot! You didn't list your state (or country) in your profile. So, you might consider jumping over to Sub-Forum: Select Your Area.... for information (i.e., clubs, hunts, finds, legends, maps, etc.) directly related to your state (or country).

2nd - Here are a few informative articles talking about nails...

University of Vermont - Nails: Clues to a Building's History
Nails provide one of the best clues to help determine the age of historic buildings,
especially those constructed during the nineteenth century...


Nail Chronology - National Park Service

PDF File 1.37MB

The National Park Service in its historic structures restoration
program has developed some research techniques...

The History of Nail Making
History does not record who it was, but the incredible results of that
inspirational moment are all around us - in the houses we live in,
the bridges we cross, the furniture we sit on...


Your Online Source for Identifying Fakes and Reproductions
Nails As Clues to Age
Most everyone knows that handmade nails are older than machine made nails...
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