Back to the cellar hole- pic heavy

[Digger_O'Dell]

Hi all,
Got back out to the cellar hole today for maybe an hour, this time using my 6 inch coil to get between the iron and through the growth a bit easier. Made a few interesting finds, but for some reason the place seems devoid of coins so far. I did find the frame from the clock movement I found yesterday and turns out to be from the New Haven clock company. Also found another copper piece similar to the one I found about 5 miles away at a park. I also found a copper back plate with a threaded hole. I now believe these to be from old ceiling lighting fixtures. Also got modern keys, scissors handle, iron hoe, and several bullets.

 

[del]

you found some great "solid" relics the hoe looks very beefy maybe more of a mattox type . the item just above it is an iron end off a singletree type yolk for oxen or horses its got to be at least a hundred years or more. look for any small foot paths from the dwelling to that well and to any other depressions or barn . Also look for any small stone walled pen as your barn will usually be connected to that. Keep at it your bound to hit a coin or two and some buttons .

Dan

 

[Digger_O'Dell]

Thanks for the tips and info Dan! Most of the finds were by the well. At the cellar itself were the clock parts. Lots of square nails and buried sheet metal. I found that about 2 inches down, around the cellar hole is lots of large stone gravel and deteriorated mortar maybe 6 inches deep. Also a few very old bricks farther out in the trees.
I tried researching the site, and as far back as 1906 there is nothing shown. But on a 1937 aerial photo there is an old barn not too distant, but obviously not close enough to this cellar to be part of the same farm unless a newer set of buildings were put up at a later date. The documentation for this particular area is sparse and incomplete at best. The only thing I can really get is that early settlers officially arrived here about 1835, though a few may have arrived as early as around 1820 or so.

 

[del]

Remember , the home site was very similar to your own with a yard that kids played in , many cook outs happened , laundry was hung out to dry and all kinds of other activities took place . I have found picnic areas as far as 200 yards away from the dwelling , keep a eye out for the odd things that would make people gravitate to them .

 

[Digger_O'Dell]

The whole layout and the age of many of the finds is confusing. The spoon for example is a 1900 pattern. The clock I think is probably 1890s to 1920s area. But the musket ball I would guess is probably CW era or older. The cellar hole itself and the well are made without mortar so I would guess older than 1860ish maybe? That seems to fit with relocated pioneer homes I saw at the historical society grounds, which they state dated between 1840-50. I can only assume an overlap in occupancy between the cellar hole site and the nearby farms to explain the newer items. But unless I can find dated coins or dateable buttons, I may never know.

 

[Digger_O'Dell]

Update on the "hoe": found the same one listed on ebay. Seller bought it long ago as an antique in Germany. Identified as 19th century grub hoe.
As for the singletree, the style seems to date around the CW era or a bit after if similar ones online are dated correctly. I would guess it's pretty accurate since more than one source put the dates in that region.

 

[OxShoeDrew]

Maybe you want to sift the trashy, high traffic areas? Most of these cellar holes are still FILLED with coinage. I'm waiting for good machines that "look" into the ground. Our current machines just can't see through all the iron. Nice job!

 

[calabash digger]

nice!

 

[Digger_O'Dell]

Maybe you want to sift the trashy, high traffic areas? Most of these cellar holes are still FILLED with coinage. I'm waiting for good machines that "look" into the ground. Our current machines just can't see through all the iron. Nice job!

Thanks Drew! Unfortunately sifting anything here is out of the question. Mostly because it's so grown over the roots make that impossible, but also because the area was apparently used as a dumping ground for everything from car parts to fence wire and old lumber loaded with nails. Typical for old farms in my area to fill in any old hole with trash.