Need help identifying item

[Boringrat]

I was doing some work on a excavator and dug up a heavy object around 5-6 feet deep. I believe it's cast iron and probably weighs around 75 pounds. Very heavy for its size. My first thought was some type of metal tomb stone then after some searching online the closest thing I could find was either a fire back or summer cover for a fireplace. But couldn't find a single image that looked just like what I found in any way. It's about 25 inches tall and about 15 inches wide at the base. It does have some type of design in the front but hard to make out. I'm sure someone knows exactly what this is. I was in south Louisiana when I dug this up about 1 mile from Bayou Lafourche if that may help a bit. I'll attach a few pics. Thanks

 

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[trapperart]

I don't know what it is, but it is way cool

 

[Boringrat]

It is cool and I thought I could easily do some online research and figure out what it was quick but after a few hours I couldn't find a definite answer so now I'm that much more excited lol

 

[ARC]

Chimney ash chute. ?

 

[against the wind]

You might be able to lift the design or words off the front by taping some tracing paper over it and then rubbing a pencil over it. It looks like a cast iron chute or support of some sort.
Congrats

 

[Boringrat]

Thanks AARC and against the wind. I'll look into that. It's way to rough to try the tracing paper I think but I may give it a shot. That spot in the middle that is smooth is from a piece of rust or something that came off when I was hosing it down. After that came off I wasn't sure if I should continue spraying it

 

[kingskid1611]

Interesting, I hope you can get an answer. And why it was located where it was. More out there?

 

[Boringrat]

When I was digging I noticed pieces of old wood around the area I found the piece. Looked like 1x4 pieces of cypress planks. The only other metal object I found was around the same depth and it was some kind of metal wheel/circular piece about a foot or so wide. I'll try to add a pic of it as well

 

[Boringrat]

 

[Bass]

May be part of an old cast iron stove. I found a piece similar to yours about 8 ft down in a 1870-1890 privy

 

[Boringrat]

 

[Boringrat]

I have been looking at old cast iron stove parts bc I was thinking as well that it may be a part from a stove or fire place. None of the parts look just like what I found but that's most likely what it is. And I was digging a 8 foot hole so it was between 6-8 feet deep and I didn't notice it till a few scoops later in the dirt pile so I know the exact depth it was.

 

[Boringrat]

Thanks bass

 

[Boringrat]

Bass do you have a link for those stove parts you found? If not maybe some pics?

 

[Bass]

Sorry I don't have a link and I never took pictures of it. The thing was such a pain in the butt to work around so I finally tied a rope around it and drug it out of the pit. When they dropped it in the pit it crushed so many great bottles that it made me sick at my stomach. I don't know for sure your part is a stove part but it certainly fits the bill

 

[NOLA_Ken]

Living in New Orleans, my first thought when I saw it was that it looks like the cast iron bases I've seen on square columns of old buildings.... If you look at the back does it look like there are any traces of mortar?

Here's a pic of what I'm thinking... not the best pic but it's the quickest I could find online...

 

[ruh-roh]

Just a guess, but it looks like the sort of heavy plate you would slide in front of a fireplace opening when the fireplace wasn't being used. Probably good for keeping curious vermin out of the house too!

 

[HunterMF]

It looks like it can possible be a piece of wood stove or some sort of partial base for something (like a statue) that would have some sort of "writing" or attached nameplate to the front. Just throwing that out there

 

[Boringrat]

Nola_ken I actually do think that the back of the piece may have some mortar which I thought was just hard clay bc they had clay at the depth I was.

Ruh-roh I too also had the feeling it may have been a summer cover for a fireplace bc when I looked online it was the closest thing could find similar looking

HunterMF my first thought was a type statue or even a cast iron tombstone but found no similar image of one

 

[HunterMF]

Closest thing I could find in similarity...