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Curious about two stone structures in my woods.

natureman083

New member
Hello, this is my first post on the site. I'm from middle Tennessee and I'm surrounded by woods. There is a tall, long wall made of big blocks in the woods. Part of it is broken and the blocks are scattered on the ground. The wall is I guess, 10 or so feet tall. I am just curious what it could of been for and how old it may be. I have taken a few photos of it.

Closer to my home, up on a hill, there are small, flat stones stacked on top each other in a circle with no rocks inside. I have a photo of this too. If anyone might be able to help me out, if possibly there's any thing I could find at these sites. I've been considering getting a metal detector.
 
Yep, I got it that way. I had an old foundation on my property. While I was clearing part of it I was kicking rocks to my excavator and kicked a penny. Later on I was looking at it because it seemed fat, turned out to be a flying eagle cent. After I got the detector I found 20 large cents from 1801 to 1845. And 2 1773 half pennies issued by the king.

Mind you I was clearing, if you do not have ground open your only hope is a detector. Nice property, I would be highly interested in the 10ft tall stone walls and other structures on your property. Somebody spent time there!
 
Speaking of digging, I was looking at the third photo and you see how the wall seems to go into the ground. I guess I could bring a shovel, dig and sift through the dirt? There's a stream right where that wall is that runs down the hill and flows where the stones fell down.
That's awesome you found those coins. I sure wish I can find something like that. There is an old horse shoe that I have. It was found digging for a garden.
 
A few things...First, those rocks stacked like that...That could very well be a marker to a cache! Make sure you hunt in all metal or in discriminate without any discrimination being turned up to you'll hear iron and dig any largish signals, even iron ones. Like say can size or bigger. If it's coins in a metal box you'll only hear an iron signal and not the coins. Second, make sure you not only hunt over those stacked rocks, but all around that area, because they might have used that only as a spot to pace off from to where they buried their loot. Also, if there any other permament markers around such as a very old tree make sure you check around that, because the rocks might have been just a secondary marker in case perhaps the tree they buried the cache by dissapears due to logging or something. You need to grid the whole area in a good radius around those stones, because they could have buried a cache anywhere and used those stones as a pace off marker. Either way, even if those stones were not used to mark a cache they are good spots for somebody to sit and rest and lose a coin out of their pocket. I always hunt around big bolders or anything people could sit on in the woods for that reason, let alone them being used to mark a cache. Even hunters will sit on stuff to watch for game quietly.

Next, that wall...Looks great! What it was for? Don't know. Looks too long to serve as a wall for a lean-to type cabin build I think, but you never know. For sure it took people and man power to build a wall like that, so even if they didn't live there there might be coins around. Especially coins paid to laborers to build the wall. Often guys would gamble at their worksite and also camp right there, so be sure to look for any ideal camping sites. Usually near water or on raised ground should it rain so that their tent's floors wouldn't get wet. Even a foot of elevation is what a smart camper will set up camp on to avoid the ground getting swampy where their tent was thrown. First rule of camping back in the day- Near water to bath, drink, cook, wash clothes, and water their horses. Second rule- Pitch your tent on higher ground, even if it's only a foot higher than the rest of the ground around it.

Third...That wall again...Be sure you also hunt in all metal or no discrimination in discriminate mode and scan the wall it's self. Often a cache was stuck behind a loose rock, so be on the look out for that too. Scan that wall top to bottom and if you get any kind of signal, even iron, be sure to pry out the stones there with a crowbar or something to see what is causing that signal. Stone walls were ideal for hiding caches.

Fourth...How did they get there? Is the terrain steep with only one way in and out? Remember they were probably riding horses too, so even a small sloping slope to get across a steep ravine or hill would be the way they went. I've found many coins at spots where that was the only way up and over a ridge spine for instance. And, if you do have ridge spines around there, often hunters and people riding horses would travel the tops of those spines as highways. That way they could keep their bearings, watch for unfriendlies below, and also it was a good vantage point to track and shoot game from.

Good luck and you BETTER let us know how it goes when you get a detector! Make sure to respond under the same post so we know to look for you when you do!
 
Hey, thanks for your reply. I live on a hill. There are some very big trees and small streams. There were also old barbed wire fences that are no longere there but some were there for so long they were inside trees. I wish there was some way I could see the history of the land. I'll be sure to keep an update on when I get a detector and if I find anything. :)
 
natureman083 said:
Hey, thanks for your reply. I live on a hill. There are some very big trees and small streams. There were also old barbed wire fences that are no longere there but some were there for so long they were inside trees. I wish there was some way I could see the history of the land. I'll be sure to keep an update on when I get a detector and if I find anything. :)

One way is by looking at old maps, try these sites here. http://historicaerials.com/ and http://www.historicmapworks.com/Browse/North_America/

John
 
Also, use google satelite maps (free) to see the view from the sky. You'd be surprised how features of old roads and such willl show up in the canapy of trees from a bird's eye view. You might even notice old tree growth versus newer growth to indicate old house sites or roads that once were there. Try zooming in and out too, because some stuff won't show until you have just the right magnification. I wonder if you can change the seasons of the views to see the area with and without leafs on the trees?
 
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