Cumberland County Stones

[Spung-Man]

still coming up empty on Mulfords causeway.Route 40?

Look along Union Lake.

Sorry for the slow reply. You aren't the only one interested in Cumberland County rocks. I was in San Francisco, at the American Geophysical Union, presenting on Pine Barrens wind faceted stones. Ventifacts are indicative of strong winds moving abundant sand in a vegetation-free environment, in our case a polar-like desert.

Demitroff M. 2014. “Observations on ventifacts and wind-polished boulders in Pleistocene coversands, ice-marginal New Jersey.” Global Climate Change and Cryospheric Systems III Posters, American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, Moscone Convention Center, San Francisco, CA, December 15, 2014, C13B-0447.
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Moscone Center South, San Francisco
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Of 25,ooo geophysical presentations it was but one of two that concerned ventifacts. The other centered on the frozen ground of Mars.

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Cheers,
Mark

 

[Teegate]

Nice finds Al. I see briers but the area looks navigable. Next, the elusive incised stone

 

[Teegate]

View attachment 5348​

Cheers,
Mark

See that trusty shovel again!

 

[manumuskin]

Actually the first stone shown looked like it might be incised with a large D on one side.So faint I could not be sure so I made no declarations it was incised.You can almost see it in the photo.There was no such mark on the other side so it might be my imaginateion.

 

[manumuskin]

Look along Union Lake.

Sorry for the slow reply. You aren't the only one interested in Cumberland County rocks. I was in San Francisco, at the American Geophysical Union, presenting on Pine Barrens wind faceted stones. Ventifacts are indicative of strong winds moving abundant sand in a vegetation-free environment, in our case a polar-like desert.

Demitroff M. 2014. “Observations on ventifacts and wind-polished boulders in Pleistocene coversands, ice-marginal New Jersey.” Global Climate Change and Cryospheric Systems III Posters, American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, Moscone Convention Center, San Francisco, CA, December 15, 2014, C13B-0447.
​

View attachment 5349
Moscone Center South, San Francisco
​

Of 25,ooo geophysical presentations it was but one of two that concerned ventifacts. The other centered on the frozen ground of Mars.

View attachment 5348​

Cheers,
Mark

I've been all over Union Lake since I was a kid.Used to drag my canoe five blocks to put in near the beach.No kidding,I did.Been out on that lake in a eight foot dingy in three foot waves and loved it.I was about fourteen.I"ll think on this.I might just come up with that stone.I have an idea already-).Still never heard of Mulfords Causeway though.Mulfords Seafood and Mulford street but never the Causeway

 

[Spung-Man]

Manumuskin,

I have found three ancient Maurice River crossings in the Vineland area, Forked Bridge (or Woodbury or Lake or Egg Harbor Road, ~Weymouth Road); Mauls Bridge (Cohansey or Egg Harbour Road, ~Almond and Wheat Roads), and Mulfords Bridge (Horse Wallow Road, replaced upstream by Sherman Ave). The most important precontact crossing was the Cape Trail ford at the Union House, which became the first dam site.

SM

 

[manumuskin]

I know the dam site.There is grass growing on it that stretches all the way across the top of the lake with a couple spillways where the grass has breaks in it.I swam the lake from first cove up to the river mouth when I was 16 and I swam through the right (eastern) spillway on my way to the river mouth.Took exactly 100 minutes at about 2.5 miles.Thats the area I"ve been thinking on since your reply.The east bank used to be private and I was all over it.I was a trespasser back then.Perhaps the state has bought down that far now?.I know the state had bought the land up to the very top of the lake.I remember when all that state land was Wawa land.Less people out there then but Wawa had started cutting down all the woods in the center.Regrowing nicely now.Glad the state protected it even if I have to share it now

 

[manumuskin]

when you say precontact you mean pre European times? Your not saying the old dam was there precontact? I thought tthat was born in the 1700's.I know the trail on the west side that goes to the old dam,it crosses a maple swamp..Those roads would have taken one past the Little Mill site on Mill creek and ended up at Carmel.Was this a Quaker route?

 

[manumuskin]

going to have to commandeer the living room to spread these hartman maps out.tried looking online but they will not load.

 

[manumuskin]

Hey Spungman.I am going to try and trace this Indian Trail.I think I know where his stone is now and if I can trace his trail I may be able to find more mile markers.I"ll keep you and Guy posted on anything I find.Go to find that first stone first.Pulling down the Hartman maps now.

 

[manumuskin]

Took a rain walk today.Really just a sprinkle.I headed for the stone Spung Man posted a photo above.I picked on the topo on my gos where I thought it was after eyeballing the Hartman map and I walked right up to it.I was off by about 20 ft.I am going to post a few pics of this one stone since it is a very nice stone and in a very nice setting.I have walked right by this stone dozens of times back when I lived in Millville back in the 80's and very early 90's.I was out in this area almost everyday back then.If I noticed the stone it did not make an impression which would be odd since I noticed others and years later when I learned what they were I went back and found them so i probably just missed this one altogether.
Here is the first one.

The next three show off the star of this show.I had to find someone to go with me who didn't mind the rain.Here she is!

and another!

and then a recreation of Spungs photo and obviously the same time of year and the same weather it appears.

This last photo shows what was about to happen.Sophie noticed the water.This of course is not good.A few seconds later she went from being a slightly damp dog to a full blown stinky wet dog beast.She is still wet as I write this.She had been tired as shown in the previous photos.The water rejuvenated her and all the way back to the truck a half mile away she was like a rocket.

 

[manumuskin]

By the way Mark the cedars in the background,right behind them is where I finally stood up on my slightly over 2.5 mile swim from bottom to top back in 80 at the prime age of 16.

 

[manumuskin]

A couple weeks ago Guy and I hit some NC land down in Lummistown. That's here in Cumberland county for the uninitiated.Well we looked for 23 stones and found twelve of them all in an area of a couple square miles.We found so many we were unsure of which stones went with which pictures once we got back since half of the stones we didn't find.I banged my head till I was satisfied with all but two pics I could not identify.I went back out today with an inch of new snow on the ground that melted as the day went on and I found the two I was unsure of and then went west and found two more.I still have about a dozen stones in this one patch of woods to look for.Here are the stones taken in order on the day of our hike Guy and then the two stones I found today at the end of it.
Lummis 1 this is the one next to the field

Lummis 2 heading north

The Forgot stone because I forgot where this pic was taken and had to refind it.

Lummis 4 a full zig zag from lummis 2

Lummis 5 another zig zag

Snare stone. This is the stone we found just before Sophie got hung in a coyote snare.Wheres that Trapper when you want to stick your foot up parts unmentionable?

Daniels stone

Whitehead 1 (Guys favorite of the day)

Whitehead 2

Itty Bitty Titty (Private Joke)

Grace Stone

A sign Stone! I was about to give up on this quite large stone.My coords were about 30 ft off and we were in a very dense laurel thicket.As I started to walk away Guy yelled "A Sign" and I ran back to find this at the base of a seven foot tall Nature Conservancy sign I had been maybe ten feet from and didn't see.

Agesino Stone I found this today.It was about 30 ft behind someones yard and had a NC sign next to it and two buckets around the sign and a third rotted tin bucket on top of the stone.

Manning Camp Stone a very nice little stone indeed.I was 40 ft off and would have missed it entirely since it was in thick laurel but the laurel was so thick I was having a hard time reaching the coord so i circled north looking for a better way in and walked right into it 40 ft off it's waypoint!

Yes I"m obsessed.

 

[bobpbx]

Al, that camera portrays color nicely. What are you shooting with?

PS: name that moss, 4th from the bottom!

 

[manumuskin]

The camera is a Canon Powershot SX130 and I must confess some of the pics I doctored a little.Basically all i do is sometimes decrease brightness if their washed out,then increase contrast and sometimes I may just touch the color saturation but some of the pics I left alone because they looked fine.The camera does do quite well if it is quite dreary out.The most common problem is over exposure even from filtered sunlight.

 

[manumuskin]

Actually looking at them most of these photos were not tampered with.It was quite dreary out both days.Well it does not look like pincushion moss at all.looks sorta like sphagnum but much to dry a habitat for that.Almost looks like a miniature fern.I"ll have to let Oji or another forum botanist take a stab at this.

 

[manumuskin]

Found seven more today.Named this one Line because it's on the fairfield/Lawrence twp line

named this one originally Fairfield stone but am changing it to Butt Crack stone because of it's shape.

Had named this one Denise after property owner on other side of line from NC but have changed it to Holy Roller stone.

Petit stone for property owner.Question.What came first the leaf or the stone?

I had named this Northeast stone but it will forever more be the Tire Stone and you can see why.After this photo I ripped up the tire and flung it as you can see in the next pic.What would have happened if I had not found this stone? it would have strangulated to death as it grew up and was choked off by a dirty rubber! I saved it!


Richard stone for owner

Dare stone originally,Now Destructo stone! This area looks like a tornado hit it.The tree right behind stone was snapped off seven feet off ground and smashed all the ribbons and laurel bushes to the ground.Luckily on far side of trunk from stone or it would be history.Downed trees thrown everywhere!Maybe this is why it's buried?Tryin to hide?

 

[Teegate]

Another good day in Cumberland County!

 

[manumuskin]

Well does anyone know what the moss is on that rock? A little ecosystem of it's own.

 

[bobpbx]

Well does anyone know what the moss is on that rock? A little ecosystem of it's own.

I am 95% sure that would be Hypnum imponems, my friend Al.

http://www.ohio.edu/plantbio/vislab/moss/Johnspage.html