Need help

[Rock22]

I found these items today in my front yard. I live on old farmland. Why were the nails bent this way? What were the aluminum items? Thanks for any help.

 

[skeeterd]

I don't know about the other items, but I have a good guess on the nails. They could have been nails that were too long for the job they were intended for so rather than leave the points sticking out, they were bent over. Sometimes this is done on purpose to keep the nails from working themselves out of the board. The boards have long since rotted away and all thats left are the bent nails.

 

[cactusrat]

I’ll go with what skeeterd said on the nails.

The iron piece looks like a bolt, washer and nut all rusted up.

My guess on the silver thing is a headless angel.

 

[Roger Mn.]

The aluminum thing is the spout off a Morton Iodized Salt container.

 

[Confederate Sailor]

The nails are examples of the the saying, "Dead as a door nail." The nails have been clinched over so the nail is "dead" and cannot be used again. This was done particularly with door nails for added fastening strength.

 

[Rock22]

Was salt used for some reason long ago for livestock? My property was beef cattle. Could the nails have been used for holding wire onto a post? Thanks,Bill

 

[cactusrat]

I would think that if the nails were used the hold wire to a post, the bent part would be more towards the heads. More of the pointed end would have been in the post to make a better hold to the post.

Most likely the nail were to long and went threw the board and were bent over to keep them from scratching someone.

Salt was (is) used for a lot of things besides on the dinner table.

 

[adalabama]

Salt was sometimes fed to live stock to make them thirsty so they would get artificially plumped up with water before being sold or traded.

 

[Roger Mn.]

The aluminum spout has nothing to do with cattle or salt being used for cattle.
Go look in your kitchen at the salt container you use. Same spout they used for years.

 

[Rock22]

Thanks for the comments everyone! Skeeterd hit the nail on the head ,I think with why the nails are bent. I never thought of it that way but I think you are correct. The spouts are not making sense to me still. I have found other spouts on my land. I guess they liked to salt their food a lot or something? I may never know.

 

[Roger Mn.]

Thanks for the comments everyone! Skeeterd hit the nail on the head ,I think with why the nails are bent. I never thought of it that way but I think you are correct. The spouts are not making sense to me still. I have found other spouts on my land. I guess they liked to salt their food a lot or something? I may never know.

Here ya go Rock22 . People did a lot of canning so they used a lot of salt.

 

[Rock22]

Thanks so much rodgerdodger! That seems to be what I found. Canning would explain all the salt use as well.