old roads and river fords?

[OutBack Duo]

I know of a farm field that on a 1877 map had a road going through it and where it crossed a river. Later maps show the road was gone in the 1940's. has anyone ever detected a spot like this and if so what can I expect to find? I have permission from the farmer to detect it and will be going out there this coming Saturday. Let me know if you think it would be a good spot or not.

This top map is dated 1877 and the satelite image of the same area.

 

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[xd35]

I would resize the aerial photo and make it transparent then overlay onto the old map. Will make it easier to see differences.

 

[pennyfarmer]

I am also curious to see what people have to say. I have a place that is similar that I take a boat to quite often. I just need to get off my duff and check it out.

 

[OutBack Duo]

The rivers path has changed over the years as evident by the satelite view. You also have to ask how accurate maps were in 1877.

 

[d2]

If it is or was a crossing there was swimming there and in the water you could expect to find anything from coins to jewelry...d2

 

[diggummup]

If it is or was a crossing there was swimming there and in the water you could expect to find anything from coins to jewelry...d2

Thats what i'm thinking, if the area was viable as a swimming hole. Concentrate on finding the spot where the road crossed the river and hunt both sides of the river and on each bank or whatever looks like the best prospect of being used as a climbing in/out point. Also the spot where they may have parked their vehicles or tied up the horses/wagons. If the riverbank wasn't accessible right at the bridge, there would be a point down (or up) river a small bit that would have been used as a climbing out point and a path leading to it. An old path may or may not be a little hard to spot, depending on the environmental conditions of the area, in regards to the local flora of the area.

 

[goverton]

I would resize the aerial photo and make it transparent then overlay onto the old map. Will make it easier to see differences.

Better still. Go to Google Earth and add Image overlay( your old map). Lighten image where you
can see aerial photo thru map. Save. Then with Screen capture program, save as .jpg.
Now you got both together.

PS: Look for Old rock crossings. Stuff usually buried on banks there

 

[Lowbatts]

The single most reliable landmarks there are the odl property lines and if/how they match up with the current fence lines, hedges, etc..

Since that plat map is from 1877 it may be well off the original river crossing. The original road and crossing may have been well up stream or down stream. I've worked a few of those in this area and they were miles off where the towns were finally settled and roads/bridges put in. Most of what I found came from early travelers who chose to cross during higher water, so they would get tipped, losing, by my finds, their cooking gear, tools, horse tack and horses, as evidence by some of the very old shoes with complete sets of nails in them at the sites.

The real hunt begins on either side of the crossing, if they made a camp to wait for better water levels, or to caulk and seal the wagon(s) when they'd try to float them across. If there was a ferry, then it might be a better bet there's gonna be a camp on the side waiting for the crossing. But you'd probably have to go back about 35-45 years prior to that map to find out if that was the case.

One thing is good, you have a nice starting point for further exploration since you'd be able to guesstimate their next stop, as first travelers were fairly consistent in their rate of travel. So also look for an old grove/orchard about 8-10 miles past that crossing and check out it's history. At one or more of those two sites there was a good chance for a Sunday camp and a local parsonnage or preacher as well.

Nice work!

 

[OutBack Duo]

I would resize the aerial photo and make it transparent then overlay onto the old map. Will make it easier to see differences.

Better still. Go to Google Earth and add Image overlay( your old map). Lighten image where you
can see aerial photo thru map. Save. Then with Screen capture program, save as .jpg.
Now you got both together.

PS: Look for Old rock crossings. Stuff usually buried on banks there

I took your instructions above and this is as close as I can get it. The river flooded in June of 1882 changing its path to where it is today.

 

[ivan salis]

anywhere an old travel road and a river crossing "connected" is liable to be a good spot to detect -- traveling folks often stopped to reload their water barrels / camp for the night , bathe , try to catch fish for food and since trees are often thick by a river they might chop firewood as well if wood was scarce in the area for taking with them. --any road / river crossing spot is worth checking out in my book. folks would often bury their money when they camped for the night nearby --that way if they were attacked they simply fled --and returned later on to reclaim their money --if the attackers wiped out the campers --they got nothing for their trouble , since they did not know where the cache was buried * -- so if the campers got "wiped out" there is a possiblity theres a buried cache left buried there.-- bandits would often attack a camp site while folks were sleeping to make it easy --often they wanted to kill most of em quickly and take one alive to make em talk and tell where the "hidden" cache was - the survivor knew he /she was a dead person -the bandits would not leave you alive to testify (they hung crooks back then) so often the survivors often said nothing taking their knowledge to the grave with them-

 

[NewsMan]

Looks like 90 and 190 mark the spots. That's where I would start in those light areas. The whole area from Lellar's southern line to the Moss plot looks like all good potential.

 

[luvsdux]

In response to your opening post. Hopefully you can expect to find a few old coins and/or relics. Also possible to find little or nothing. As to whether it's a good spot or not, only by detecting will you know for sure. Wherever people have been active there's a good chance for good finds so go for it. Shouldn't take to long to figure if it's worth your time or not. I would if it were my spot.
luvsdux

 

[OutBack Duo]

There is a 1838 battle site (skirmish) located about a mile north west of this location that I have been pulling lots of lead (musket balls) out of. I also found a piece to a musket sideplate there. This area has seen a few people pass through it since the early 1800's.

you can see a picture of some of my finds at that location in this post: http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,431036.0.html

 

[eric n n.c.]

I've had real good success hunting fields next to old road beds in Va. This road had been around a very long time due to the finds I had found anywhere from Rev. on up to war between the states. I would work the fields, then follow the road through the woods where at one time it might have been a clearing there and find relics there. I've found it doesn't hurt to hunt the thicker stuff as well. Hope this helps and good luck.

 

[Swartzie]

It would certainly be worth checking out. If it was a frequently crossed area then there may have been a ferry crossing there back in the day. Or like others have said, a swimming hole. Anyplace near a river gets me excited. Lots of native american history near rivers.

-Swartzie

 

[CoilFisher]

Why not pull some old deeds so you can pinpoint exactly where the river crossed.
From the deeds it will tell you how many feet of riverfront or mention where the river was in relation to said property.
It is not as hard you think. Some deeds may even have an old sketch attatched.
'The courthouse people love to help as they just sit on their duffs all day anyway.