In an earlier post about Gold Mine Creek, I mentioned that I had been given permission by a friend to metal detect and check out the old gold mine site on his property.
He told me that the old burnt up house would be a good place for me to look and see what I could find.
The old home burned down about 30 years ago and at first glance what was left of the site looked rather modern. There was one two story chimney still standing and the brick looked sort of new. The second chimney had fallen and bricks were in a pile on the far right side. There was a concrete and block front low foundation rising up through the poison ivy forest that looked pretty recent.
After careful study, it became clear that someone had remodeled the old farm house before it burned. When looking at the standing chimney, it had been reworked from the hearth up. Under the newer concrete hearth were very old river rocks that provided a stable foundation for the mason to rebuild on. They were the remnants of the first old fireplace.
It was clear that the concrete block foundation had been added to support a new front porch. The old large stones that the house had once rested on were still in place resting now with no responsibility to support floor beams and the weight of the structure.
I was told that the house was very old and was built in the mid 1800's. Surrounded by massive oaks and old thick cedar trees, one could clearly see that the site was much older than the new brick on the still standing fireplace. People lived there a long time ago.
I started my search around the base of the foundation and found quite a bit of roofing tin, nails and other similar building materials. As I headed around the front of the house, my detector signaled zinc and a ring target.
The first find of the day was an odd shaped object (pictured) that looked like a spear head, point or some sort of top adornment. It's open underneath for something to stick up in there like a stake, spike or piece of wood. It looks like part of a weather vane or lighting rod wind vane to me. If you know what it is, please let me know treasureholic@gmail.com I'd love to hear!
I carefully picked my way through the poison ivy and headed towards the back of the "house" towards the corn crib and old shed barn.
Another strong target sounded and I started to dig. This time, I unearthed a very interesting buckle. It's rather large - about 5 inches across and has a wavy clamp on it that still operates up and down. (pictured) I have no clue what this buckle would be used for. It's substantial and well made. Maybe it's horse harness.
After finding the two items, I felt like heading for the creek. I was a bit concerned about the sea of poison ivy knowing that I would not have a chance to scrub my skin before dark if I kept on digging there. So I gathered my detector and shovel and headed for my next adventure at Gold Mine Creek.
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