Digger_O'Dell
06-24-2018, 03:02 AM
I got out after work Saturday morning to a somewhat enigmatic site I've hunted before. Currently there's a lighthouse there that was built in the 1880s, but the area was extensively worked during transition to a park and museum. But, this lighthouse was built to replace another that was from the 1850s which was too close to an eroding bluff and in danger of going over the edge.
The enigmatic part is that nobody seems to know for sure exactly where it was located. There is a paved walking path near the bluff that was once a road with period bridges over a couple deep ravines. The newer lighthouse is between the 2 bridges. The curator of the lighthouse museum showed me an area that he says the original lighthouse stood which is over the North bridge. Detecting that area several times before I found it loaded with iron, but the nails are round, not square as would be correct for the 1850s. The only old find in that area was an iron skeleton key.
This time I tried working a smaller area between the old road and the bluff, directly behind the current lighthouse. This area seems more likely to be the original build site. I found square nails there, and a limestone/gravel layer about 8 inches down which looks like old foundation.
Still didnt find much but modern clad mostly. But I did find half an old stick welder clamp, a did tag from SW Georgia, and a very unusual looking square nail with a mushroom head and flat sides. I also found another oddity I can't identify. It looks a little like an old small brass screwdriver handle, but it has what appears to be gold plating. Any ideas anyone? https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180624/6a67f769d43601d603c518834364db0a.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180624/d8a189aef81757111674d3f3fdc3bf63.jpg
Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk
The enigmatic part is that nobody seems to know for sure exactly where it was located. There is a paved walking path near the bluff that was once a road with period bridges over a couple deep ravines. The newer lighthouse is between the 2 bridges. The curator of the lighthouse museum showed me an area that he says the original lighthouse stood which is over the North bridge. Detecting that area several times before I found it loaded with iron, but the nails are round, not square as would be correct for the 1850s. The only old find in that area was an iron skeleton key.
This time I tried working a smaller area between the old road and the bluff, directly behind the current lighthouse. This area seems more likely to be the original build site. I found square nails there, and a limestone/gravel layer about 8 inches down which looks like old foundation.
Still didnt find much but modern clad mostly. But I did find half an old stick welder clamp, a did tag from SW Georgia, and a very unusual looking square nail with a mushroom head and flat sides. I also found another oddity I can't identify. It looks a little like an old small brass screwdriver handle, but it has what appears to be gold plating. Any ideas anyone? https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180624/6a67f769d43601d603c518834364db0a.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180624/d8a189aef81757111674d3f3fdc3bf63.jpg
Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk