Olympian Springs, Bath Co., (aka Olympia Springs, Mud Lick Springs)

[1320]

Anyone ever detect at this place? It was a resort that dates back to the late 1700's. It has history thru the mid 1940's.

Jamie

 

[sixguns]

When do you want to go? . I live in Midway, and since it looks like we are not going to have much of a winter, I might be able to go, that is if your up for a hunting partner?

pacman

 

[sixguns]

Sounds great!!! If the weather holds for a week or so. I will be on the road this week, but if its nice next weekend, and you can get away Thanks

pacman

 

[sixguns]

Great!!!! so it is hard looking huh? Any interesting relics?

pacman

 

[sixguns]

Sounds like there might be some promising finds there Jamie..... I am still researching an old Hotel/Resort from the '50's outside of Clay City, Irvine area. its Govt land, and I have no problem with getting permission to MD, just trying to pin down the exact area where the Resort was, pool, etc. I will holler at you when I get it pinned down, and see if you can get out and give me some help checking it out......

pacman

 

[sixguns]

its actually on State land, and I have the keys, or to say I can get them. Its now a training area for the State, KY National Guard, State Police, etc. Being the Operations NCO for a Battalion gets me in when I want. I just need to let one of my buddies know, make sure there is no training going on around where we would be detecting at, and were in....

 

[sixguns]

wouldnt be to bad, we can just use blanks there, but the State SRP Team, (SWAT) practices there sometimes, but I have several buddies on the team, so that wouldnt be a problem either I dont think...

 

[sixguns]

Its not all that cool, believe me, trying to sweep for mines, and fire going off is not a pleasant experience, hahahahaha

 

[sixguns]

Good huntin Jamie, sorry there wasnt some silver or gold in that haul.... Still workin the depot, holler at you when I hear something...

pacman

 

[cavers5]

Howdy,

What's that badge-lookin' piece? Also, I don't know if you fellows read anything about the Official Records of the War of the Rebellion, but I'm pretty sure those were also areas used during the Civil War. The Records are online via Cornell University, easily searchable.

Good luck!

Cavers5

 

[cavers5]

Hi,

I should have been more specific...what is the circular piece that looks like it has a star in the middle?

Thanks,
Cavers5

 

[Monty]

Do ya' recon that V with the music bars on it could be from an old Victrola? Monty

 

[AnOldPro]

Jamie... Congratulations!

You have found a dropped .56 cal. Spencer Carbine Bullet in one of its variant forms... in common use with the Yankee Cavalry. As is... about $3.50. If the cartridge had been intact it would have been worth at least $10.00.

The black powder in the cartridges is VERY corrosive and usually eats up the brass cartridge over its many years in the ground. That is why only fragments of the cartridge remain clinging to the bullet. Sometimes favorable soil and moisture conditions will help preserve the brass cartridge but it looks like thats not the case at the springs.

There is a good picture of an intact bullet with cartridge identical to yours on page 90, figure 95 of the reference book CIVIL WAR PROJECTILES ll by Mason and McKee.

DC

 

[Monty]

There weren't a heck of a lot of brass cartridge cases to begin with in the Civil War. Your standard issue rifle was a muzzleloader that used a paper cartridge filled with powder and a Minni ball rolled up in the end. The Union had most of the brass cartridged repeaters and the Confederacy only had a few, mostly battle field pickups. Monty

 

[AnOldPro]

Actually, Monty, Mason and McKee's authoritative work entitled Civil War Projectiles II shows over 40 DIFFERENT bullets with their BRASS cartridges... many were for revolvers. I have found unfired or misfired brass cartridge bullets with pretty good regularity in both Confed and Yankee campsites. So... though the Yanks, as you said,had most of the Cavalry carbines using brass cartridges, the Rebs used quite a few such as the pinfires in their revolvers. There were over 1000 different bullet firing weapons used in the Civil War. The Yanks used about 200 of those and the Rebs over 800 different guns. This lopsided number accounted for a lot of the brass cartridge weapons that Rebs carried though most were apparently revolvers.

There would have been MANY thousands more of the 7 shot spencers, and others firing brass cartridges if congress had not taken the position that it was "wasteful of ammunition" to put those guns in the hands of the regular army.

DC

 

[cavers5]

A question, fellas...I am very interested in plotting the old state road that went through that area. Would any of you happen to know how close the resort was to the old state road? Also, does anyone have coordinates for the resort? If you do not want to post them, just PM me, if you're willing to share those.

Thanks,
Cavers5

 

[kindafoundabuckle]

You confused? I cant believe that!

 

[Monty]

Thanks for the info. I did not know that about the brass cartridges. I have been reading a series of books on the civil war of late and all that is ever mentioned is the Navy Colts, A regulation British musket rifle and whatever the Rebs had on hand many times. There was mention of the Spencer carbines that was issued to some of the Federal troops, mostly elite corps such as cavalry, etc. and battle field pickups in the hands of the Confederecy. The Confederate troops often had no ammo for them and just had to use whatever the could capture, or so the books say. I'd like to read up on those other cartridge type firearms as I am a gun nut too. Can you give me some reference books or articles? Thanks in advance. Monty