Ammo Old Stone Mortar?

[TennKin]

or just a rock?

For the life of me I can't figure out what this is. Its roughly 4 inches in diameter and weighs a tad over 5 pounds. I dug this up out back on my property. Any help identifying would be appreciated.

 

[byron ed]

It appears to be a marine concretion of some sort, a coral chunk reduced to a ball shape. I doubt it would remain intact if fired out of a mortar. A weight for a fishing net? Is the property near the ocean?

 

[JOHN42768]

Not magnetic? How about a meteorite or petrified egg from way back?

 

[TennKin]

It appears to be a marine concretion of some sort, a coral chunk reduced to a ball shape. I doubt it would remain intact if fired out of a mortar. A weight for a fishing net? Is the property near the ocean?

No. I live 3 miles from the Cumberland River, 13 miles from Fort Donelson

 

[TennKin]

Not magnetic? How about a meteorite or petrified egg from way back?

Non magnetic. Curious as I was reading about old mortars that fired round stones

 

[Larryh86GT]

I don't know what it is but it sure is a neat find in your yard.

 

[UCVRelics]

Its defiantly not a mortar ball and seeing your flag I can't help it.

 

[byron ed]

Non magnetic. Curious as I was reading about old mortars that fired round stones

Could still be ship ballast, which could be ocean coral in a ship that entered the U.S. fresh water transportation routes via the St. Lawrence seaway and Ohio/Michigan canal, or (as steam took over) upstream from New Orleans. Or not.

 

[TennKin]

Its defiantly not a mortar ball and seeing your flag I can't help it.

View attachment 327314

lol... November is near

 

[mikekj]

Possibly Native American.?.?

 

[TennKin]

Possibly Native American.?.?

Could be. I have some say it may be an Indian Game ball of some sorts.

 

[Lampasas Bill]

Is there a hole in it that would allow it to be attached to a stone gate post?

 

[TennKin]

Is there a hole in it that would allow it to be attached to a stone gate post?

There is a square void. 1/8"x1/8"

 

[Carol]

Very unique !! Nice find !!

 

[John Hartwell]

If it was made of a hard, close grained stone like basalt, I would think it probably a native American mano stone -- used for grinding grain or nuts:

There are some Inuit examples as big as 10-pin bowling balls. But yours appears too porous for that.

A marine/coral concretion could well come from an ancient, 'fossil' sea bed, far from today's oceans.

 

[Ethan S.]

Its defiantly not a mortar ball and seeing your flag I can't help it.

View attachment 327314

Roll over tide...

Go WildCats...

 

[Ethan S.]

I do not believe it to be Native American because it is not smooth.

I have found stones like that near old brick making plants and clay processing plants, because they kneaded heavy balls to knead the clay.

I am not sure of your location or proximity to one of those plants, but if you are not near one, then I have no choice but to call that one a freak of nature, and leave it at that.

 

[Seduzal]

I have no clue! Thanks for sharing this.

 

[diane]

Might as well chip in my two cents. Might be a playing ball. Ft Donelson area was Mississippian culture and they...for some reason... liked to swat around heavy round rocks!

 

[Western Reserve Volunteer]

I agree with others that it looks too porous to be the sort of thing you'd throw around. If it were from Ohio I'd say it was a glacial erratic. Do you get eels in the river down there in Georgia? I know in England they used stones to hold down eel traps.

Do you live near a Natural History museum? Their geology department might have a better idea what it is geologically.

Makes me wonder what stone mortar rounds would look like, though. I want to say they were actually small stones placed in a basket? But I may be misremembering.