Plumb Roofing Hatchet 1881 CDN LC Antique Door Latch

[ANTIQUARIAN]

Last Thursday, I headed back to a homestead site that was active from 1850 - 1920. The hay had been cut but had not been bailed yet, so I was pretty much left to swing in between the rows. My only finds were a Plumb roofing hatchet, an old vaccine bottle and a cow's plastic ear tag. I decided to try again on Sunday after the hay had been bailed and a heavy rain the night before. My first find was an 1881 CDN LC, a few assorted buttons and an early iron door latch. I tent to pick up most large pottery and glass fragments I find in the fields when I'm detecting, so the beautiful early 'cobalt' blue coloured piece was a nice surprise.

This afternoon I paid a visit on a fall wheat field that I detected in the late summer last year. There were two early home sites located here and I've been impatiently waiting all year for the wheat to be cut. Can you guess where I'm going to be detecting on Friday morning?

Thanks very much for looking,
Dave

PS. Our sleepy guard dog with her toy in her mouth.


Fayette R. Plumb Co. - History
"After completing his formal education, Fayette R. Plumb is reputed to have taken a job with the distinguished hardware concern of Lloyd, Supplee & Walton in Philadelphia. That was in 1867. His intent was to learn the hardware business. Two years later he formed a partnership with an established hammer manufacturer by the name of Jonathan Yerkes. Jonathan Yerkes was initially engaged in tool manufacturing in Moreland, Pennsylvania. Sometime around 1856 Yerkes relocated his manufactory to Frankford, Pennsylvania.

In 1869 Fayette R. Plumb bought half of the existing firm of Jonathan Yerkes. Engraved pictures of the manufactories that were included in the Fayette R. Plumb Catalog dated 1888 show the works in 1856 and 1864 with the name of Jonathan Yerkes only. Almost immediately after the partnership was formed the construction of a completely new works was commenced in what was considered an industrial section of Philadelphia. Jonathan Yerkes initially disposed of his holdings in the company to his brother Edward A. Yerkes. Apparently shortly thereafter Edward A. eventually sold out to Plumb, but the Yerkes & Plumb name was maintained for a while. The Plumb Co. bought the Washoe Tool Mfg. Co. in 1889 so they could increase their capacity to produce mattocks and picks. At that time Washoe was located on Staten Island just south of New York City. During this time Plumb was renowned worldwide for their axes the company generated and maintained a coveted reputation in other countries, one of which was Australia.

Reportedly the death of the last of the Plumbs to manage the company was in 1959. The management details are a bit sketchy for the next decade but in 1971 the Plumb Company was acquired by the Ames Co. The Ames Co. had been acquired in 1955 by Bernhard McDonough, a major businessman headquartered in Parkersburg, West Virginia. Indications are that after 1971 production by the Plumb division consisted of axes, hatchets, hammers and sledges. The Plumb hatchet-hammer combo with nail puller and shingling gauge remains a prime collectible because one tool enabled shinglers to split a shingle, drive nails, and use the notch as a combination nail holder and spacer gauge."

 

[Almy]

Nice writeup and beautiful pictures. You have a very nice area to hunt! It'd be hard to stay home if I lived there!

 

[crashbandicoot]

Thanks for that history,I sure didn,t know all that and I,ve used Plumb tools by choice for a long time.If I found a hatchet like that I,d clean ,er up,put on a new handle and put it back to work doing what it does best!Your other finds are nice too.Ol.Jim in Arkansas.

 

[WannaDig3687]

Looks like some good hunting you had. Of course I like Oakley the best, lol! That?s pretty neat information about the hatchet. I would be thrilled to find one. Congrats and I hope you find some more when you get back out.

 

[Digger RJ]

Nice Hunt!!! Congrats!!!

 

[scruggs]

Congratulations on your nice site and finds!

 

[ANTIQUARIAN]

Nice writeup and beautiful pictures. You have a very nice area to hunt! It'd be hard to stay home if I lived there!

Thanks for your post and support Almy.
I've spent a lot of time in the Maritimes, lots of history to recover in your part of our great country, although I've heard the rules regarding detecting in Nova Scotia are pretty tough.

Thanks for that history, I sure didn't know all that and I've used Plumb tools by choice for a long time. If I found a hatchet like that I'd clean ,er up, put on a new handle and put it back to work doing what it does best!Your other finds are nice too. Ol.Jim in Arkansas.

Thanks for your post Jim.
A buddy here in Ontario found one of these roofing hatchets a few weeks ago and I've always wanted to find one myself. I was fortunate to find this one last week and I've enjoy doing the background research on finds like this. I'm planning on tumbling it with a number of other iron relics and will have to look around for a handle that will fit at the local hardware store.
Best of luck to you in Arkansas,
Dave

Looks like some good hunting you had. Of course I like Oakley the best, lol! That?s pretty neat information about the hatchet. I would be thrilled to find one. Congrats and I hope you find some more when you get back out.

Good morning WD, how's your Dad and family doing these days?
It's been very hot up here lately, so it must be terribly hot in Ohio. I thought you might want to know, that I've been interviewing with Generac since mid-May, I'm now just impatiently waiting for an offer of employment.
Oakley is being a real monkey these days, she likes digging holes in the backyard and shredding Kleenex she finds in the upstairs bathroom garbage can.
Thanks for your post and best of luck to you!
Dave

Nice Hunt!!! Congrats!!!

Thanks Randy

Congratulations on your nice site and finds!

Thank you for taking the time to post scruggs.
My only hope is the farmer does a second cutting of hay this fall and I have the opportunity to detect it one last time before the site is developed for residential housing.
Best of luck to you in AL,
Dave

 

[WannaDig3687]

Good morning WD, how's your Dad and family doing these days?
It's been very hot up here lately, so it must be terribly hot in Ohio. I thought you might want to know, that I've been interviewing with Generac since mid-May, I'm now just impatiently waiting for an offer of employment.
Oakley is being a real monkey these days, she likes digging holes in the backyard and shredding Kleenex she finds in the upstairs bathroom garbage can.
Thanks for your post and best of luck to you!
Dave

Good morning, Dave.
Dad had a bout with an UTI. I will spare you the details, but I was traumatized. He is much better now. Thank you for asking. I hope your mom is doing well. The weather has been wacky. It has either been too unbearably hot or too rainy to do much. Between that and my knee acting up, I have hardly detected at all. If Oakley is prone to dig, you should train her to help you. I can't believe Generac has not hired you yet. Well, I know you have been out of work for a while, so I hope they take you on real soon. I hope college is going well for your daughter and your wife is doing well. Best of luck in your hunting. ~WD

 

[ANTIQUARIAN]

Good morning, Dave.
Dad had a bout with an UTI. I will spare you the details, but I was traumatized. He is much better now. Thank you for asking. I hope your mom is doing well. The weather has been wacky. It has either been too unbearably hot or too rainy to do much. Between that and my knee acting up, I have hardly detected at all. If Oakley is prone to dig, you should train her to help you. I can't believe Generac has not hired you yet. Well, I know you have been out of work for a while, so I hope they take you on real soon. I hope college is going well for your daughter and your wife is doing well. Best of luck in your hunting. ~WD

I'm so sorry to hear about your Dad's recent respiratory infection, glad to hear that he's feeling better. Mom's doing ok, she's still living on her own in a condo rental in downtown Toronto. My sister and I are looking into getting her a Meals on Wheels food delivery service, because she's almost physically unable to cook for herself and we don't feel she's eating properly. This is a Government sponsored program here in Ontario, here's a link if you're interested in reading about it... https://www.mealsonwheels.ca/

I hear you about knee pain, I've got arthritis in both knees combined with a torn meniscus. I'm considering getting Cortisone shots as a way of celebrating if I get the job with Generac.
Our daughter leaves to attend university in Ottawa, ON at the end of August, so things should start to quiet down around the house after that.
She's in enrolled in the Honors BA Program in Physiology for the next 4 years, she'll head to the University of Aberdeen in Scotland to get her MBA in 2025.

Great to hear from you, take care.
Dave

 

[erfranks]

Great Saves!!

 

[treblehunter]

Nice stuff bud, I love the patina on that LC
GL & HH
Brad

 

[DigToChina]

I?d axe you a question but you already gave me the info [emoji23]

Great finds Dave!

 

[Argentium]

I'm loving the green Queen Vickie LC - I have to find a way to get up to Canada ,so I have a shot at grabbing some Queen Victoria coins - I love them ! Nice finds
Amigo !!

 

[ANTIQUARIAN]

Great Saves!!

Thanks bud.

Nice stuff bud, I love the patina on that LC
GL & HH
Brad

Thanks for your post Brad.
I get the impression this field hasn't seen a plow or a disk for years, so who knows what goodies are sealed in the ground likely never to be found.
Best of luck to you,
Dave

I'd axe you a question but you already gave me the info [emoji23]

Great finds Dave!

Thanks for your post and support Dallas.
Hope you're getting out there with all of the scattered showers we've been getting lately.

I'm loving the green Queen Vickie LC - I have to find a way to get up to Canada, so I have a shot at grabbing some Queen Victoria coins - I love them ! Nice finds
Amigo !!

Thanks for your support here on Tnet Arg.
If you ever find yourself coming to the Toronto area and have time for a hunt, shoot me a PM and I'll get you onto a couple of my permissions.
Dave

 

[Argentium]

Thank's Dave ! That's a fine offer , if life somehow finds me up in your neck of the woods ,I will certainly
make contact - in the mean time ,go grab you some more beautiful Vickie coinage !

 

[ANTIQUARIAN]

Thank's Dave ! That's a fine offer , if life somehow finds me up in your neck of the woods ,I will certainly
make contact - in the mean time ,go grab you some more beautiful Vickie coinage !

Thanks buddy, I guess I'm more likely to come to the the US southwest at some point then you to travel to the northeast.
That is if my government ever lifts the travel restrictions from the US to Canada... supposedly this is going to happen in mid-August.
Dave

 

[Calabash Digger]

Nice!

 

[Hunk-a-lead]

amazing finds (as usual) wtg and thanks for posting

 

[lenmac65]

Nice post. Congrats on all the great finds.

 

[ANTIQUARIAN]

Nice!

Thanks CD.

amazing finds (as usual) wtg and thanks for posting

Thank you for your post and support my friend.
Dave

Nice post. Congrats on all the great finds.

Thanks very much Steve, hope you're doing well these days.
Dave