Colonial Sites in KY

[KYBuzzBox]

I know that some of the people on this site hunt early frontier colonial stations (forts) sites. I have been hunting several early sites in central KY and have come up with lots of iron (cooking utensils, pieces of cast iron cookware, gun locks pieces, rod tips, knifes, and lots of s-hooks and strike-a-lites), buttons, a few buckles, and some white & blue English pottery shards.

However, I have found a lot of flint on these sites (Indiana horn-stone and blue flint - not from this area). It is in the form of cores, lots of large flakes, and some gun flints. at first I though it was just remains of an earlier Native American camp but I kept finding flint on almost all of the old homestead sites (way to much for just gun flints). Has anyone else found flint at their early colonial sites?

HH.....KYBuzzBox

[coinnut]

Up in New England, I rarely find any gun flints. Would probably finds lots if we could get permission to do a fort, but the cellar holes produce very little. Then again, we don't dig enough holes to spot some either.

[KYBuzzBox]

Hi Coinnut,

Thanks for the reply. I talked with a local archaeologist yesterday and he seemed to suggest that we may have come across the remains of a local cottage industry. Maybe they were knapping out gun flints for sale or trade to settlers and native Americans at the trading post on the Station. That would account for the large amount of high quality flint on an early frontier station site. Since this area was the frontier for many years, I could see the need for lot's of gun flints for hunting and defense (French & Indian war, ect..). It would also explain the amount of lead pigs (bars) that we have found. It make sense that each station/fort had their own armory.

KYBuzzBox

[OxShoeDrew]

I don't think I'd even know what flint looks like.

[coinnut]

That makes a lot more sense now. I'd say you got it figured out why you find so many of them there. Great place to detect Here are some gun flints just in case anyone hasn't seen some.

http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&s...group&sa=X

[KYBuzzBox]

Have you ever found any glass on your sites in new england? We only find pottery here, no glass on pre 1800 sites.

KYBuzzBox

[del]

glass on colonial sites here is almost exclusively what they call black glass because its so dark an unless you hold it to the sunlight , then its a very dark olive green . most are Case gin or dutch onion squat type , very thick too. your assesment of a frontier fort or trading post you've found goes nicely with the abundance of flint and lead bars. it sounds like a great site that could produce a great quantity of goodies.

[KYBuzzBox]

Hi Del,

You called that one dead on. Last night I found what appears to the remains of an old pewter cup that had been melted in a fire. But while digging out the slag cup I found two thick (1/4 - 1/2) pieces of dark olive glass ( first time I have ever found any glass).

It was getting dark when we found them. We marked the area and I am going to try to get back there after it cools down an we get a little rain (the ground here is really dry - limiting the target depth on my V3i).

My friend believes that we may have found the foundations of the old tavern or ale house that must have burned down. This area might produce some trade silver. I love this hobby!

KYBuzzBox