Tom Hughes
Sergeant Major
- Joined
- May 27, 2019
- Location
- Mississippi
Allow me to share with this group some artifacts I found Saturday while metal detecting an old abandoned plantation site in Louisiana. It's history is long, being established within a cotton planting setting. It was built in 1830 and saw action during Grant's Vicksburg campaign as Union soldiers made their way along the Louisiana side of the river enroute to invade Mississippi at Bruinsburg. It was burned in an accidental fire in 1940.
Please come along and enjoy the story that these artifacts tell as tangible reminders of a past life in the South.
Here's a sampling of items showing typical household life. Shirt buttons, a suspender button, a fragment of old transferware plate, and a piece of old medicine bottle.
I was able to recover several coins. Only one of the coins, however, was silver - a 1911 Denver mint Barber dime. This photo shows the moment it is brought to light. In case you can't see it, it is in the dirt between the hole and the shaft of the metal detector.
Here it is cleaned up.
Here was a huge surprise find. This is a stoneware marble...and it is quite large, measure 1.5" in diameter.
It was found washed up at the site.
Here it is cleaned up. This is probably one of the oldest items found at the site. This large type stoneware marble goes back to the 1600-1700s in Europe. They were brought over from Europe by colonial immigrant families and used a toys for the children.
This colored button/earring/jewelry item is still being explored for its origins and purpose. But, it looks like it would have been used by a woman, and may be quite old as well. It is glass with beautiful blue swirl designs. Regardless, this artifact shows that the women, though living in rural settings, enjoyed finer things in life and probably entertained at the plantation in high fashion.
Many types of clay pipes have been found here. This is one decorative example. Most are broken in the same fashion as this specimen. Men enjoyed tobacco. A wooden stem would have been inserted into the hole in this clay pipe bowl to smoke the pipe.
Stay tuned for part 2 of the Louisiana Plantation Dig!!
Please come along and enjoy the story that these artifacts tell as tangible reminders of a past life in the South.
Here's a sampling of items showing typical household life. Shirt buttons, a suspender button, a fragment of old transferware plate, and a piece of old medicine bottle.
I was able to recover several coins. Only one of the coins, however, was silver - a 1911 Denver mint Barber dime. This photo shows the moment it is brought to light. In case you can't see it, it is in the dirt between the hole and the shaft of the metal detector.
Here it is cleaned up.
Here was a huge surprise find. This is a stoneware marble...and it is quite large, measure 1.5" in diameter.
It was found washed up at the site.
Here it is cleaned up. This is probably one of the oldest items found at the site. This large type stoneware marble goes back to the 1600-1700s in Europe. They were brought over from Europe by colonial immigrant families and used a toys for the children.
This colored button/earring/jewelry item is still being explored for its origins and purpose. But, it looks like it would have been used by a woman, and may be quite old as well. It is glass with beautiful blue swirl designs. Regardless, this artifact shows that the women, though living in rural settings, enjoyed finer things in life and probably entertained at the plantation in high fashion.
Many types of clay pipes have been found here. This is one decorative example. Most are broken in the same fashion as this specimen. Men enjoyed tobacco. A wooden stem would have been inserted into the hole in this clay pipe bowl to smoke the pipe.