Recent Find Relics Found While Searching An Old Plantation Part 2

Tom Hughes

Sergeant Major
Joined
May 27, 2019
Location
Mississippi
key dug in situ.jpg

A house key sees the light of day. It's an old one and probably fit into one of the many doors of the plantation home.

key.jpg

The key is finally cleaned. The dark green patina is testament to its many years in the Louisiana soil. I feel sure this key was lost by accident.

pocket knife.jpg

This pocket knife has an inscribed design on the brass. It's the first one I've seen with this feature. Pocket knives were very common. Every man had one.

pewter spout.jpg

Evidence of the soldiers who camped around the house was also found. Here is a pewter canteen spout.

eating knife.jpg

The remains of an eating knife. May have been lost by a soldier. Typical of many of the knives used during the mid 19th century.

rimfire shells.jpg

Rimfire cartridges were numerous here. These examples date from the mid 1860s-1870s. The invention of the repeating rifle as well as the metallic cartridge revolutionized both warfare and hunting, using firearms.

chewed bullets.jpg

Several chewed bullets were found. These were probably due to animals knawing on the lead as opposed to soldiers...but still interesting.

fired round pistol ball.jpg

Here's a fine example of a "cap and ball" pistol round that has been hard rammed and fired.

Thanks for looking at this post and coming on this journey with me. So much to learn about the people who lived during this time span through the artifacts that were left behind.
 
View attachment 392721
A house key sees the light of day. It's an old one and probably fit into one of the many doors of the plantation home.

View attachment 392722
The key is finally cleaned. The dark green patina is testament to its many years in the Louisiana soil. I feel sure this key was lost by accident.


Thanks for looking at this post and coming on this journey with me. So much to learn about the people who lived during this time span through the artifacts that were left behind.

A friend of mine would do detecting in a major urban city's old mill neighborhood that was mostly mid-19th century row homes mixed with small individual houses. He had the best luck near doors, around the base of stairs - figured that the guys coming home after a beer or three would dig around in their pockets for the door key - disgorging the coins and all sorts of other stuff he'd find in the process.
 
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