Fall/Winter Stone Searching 2021/2022

[Teegate]

I decided to start this so I don't have to create new threads each week.

Today, we went looking to see if there is a property stone at the corner of a parcel of land in the Oswego Tract that Joseph Wharton purchased from Charles B. Ballinger on December 3, 1906. The property is in Lot 6 of the Oswego Tract survey just above the Cutts Bog above Martha. The Calico fire earlier this year opened up that area and I have just got around to going there to look. The corner is 3537.60 feet from the Oswego Pond on the southern Lot 6 line. I know the exact starting point and the ending point of that line and so all I had to do is measure off the distance in Google Earth and we were there. Unfortunately, even though it is easy to see the ground, we found nothing.

We looked where the blue arrow is pointing. Ignore the fact it shows the corner in the road because the map is wrong.

Jessica searching.

We did however find one of the Wharton survey monuments on that survey line. It has a lead metal top which tells me that monument has been replaced sometime after the original was put in. The lead deteriorates over time and that is why some of the stamping is missing.

Earlier we went to the Martha Bridge and I added to my Then And Now photos. I did not have the 1975 photo with me, I went from memory, so it is not exactly accurate.

The late KC Mahon and myself developed 8/1975 and today.

 

[RednekF350]

Looks like the survey only calls for the beginning stake Guy. Were you able to review any deeds for calls for markers at any of the other corners ?

 

[Teegate]

Looks like the survey only calls for the beginning stake Guy. Were you able to review any deeds for calls for markers at any of the other corners ?

The beginning stake is now NJ424BR so I know the exact point. I searched out and found the end point which is NJ420BR. It was a struggle finding that one. See below. In any event, I did my homework and measured off the exact distance and was exactly there today. Nothing. I now have to go back and go north 660. feet. Basically a 90 degree turn from S85° 14' 45"

I am very confident I was there today. I have been looking this over for months.

NJ420BR

 

[bobpbx]

Guy, that looks like a huge dent in the metal, and some of the number stamp had no material to stamp on the J and the 3.

 

[Teegate]

It is dented but the feathering is weather wear. Many of the lead ones that I find are like that. All in Bass River or Lebanon. Wharton are aluminum and hang in there better.

 

[Teegate]

All,

This morning we headed to Wharton off of 206 looking for a incised stone that in 2010 we were not able to find.

The view early this morning with the sun peaking through the trees.

I remember when we were there the last time we found a portion of a mailbox with a name on it. Jessica found it again. The location is along private property and some disturbance was evident. We did not find the stone.

Our next location would be more difficult. We were looking to visit a stone at the back corner of the Chew Cemetery property by getting there from Parkdale and traveling completely on state property. We had to fully walk around the blueberry field shown below. BTW, that blueberry field lot is quite old and was acquired by Anna Miller from Lloyd Bickely in what appears to be 1876. She also acquired one lot on the other side of 206 that today is also a portion of that blueberry field.

The stone at the back of the Chew property is circled as well as a corner of the blueberry field where we were hoping to find the state monument.

These maps gives you a little more info about the Chew property. The back lot was purchased by William C. Chew on 4/20/1876 and many of the other lots are from the same time frame. I think we can safely say the Chew family arrived around that time.

We finially made it to the blueberry field corner and found the state monument. However, it is stamped wrong and has a number that belongs with the Parkdale property a mile away. The Wharton survey team made a major mistake there.

This should say 344.

Then the line southward to a road that use to cross the blueberry property but has been cut off by them. This portion of the road is no longer used and is closing in, making it tougher to follow. Jessica received her Covid booster shot yesterday (now working in a classroom) and was starting to feel the effects at this point. But she plowed on and we eventually arrived where the stone should be. A quick look around and I found it nudged against a tree.

Knowing a state monument should be nearby we poked at the ground and found it in good time. This one is correct.

It is interesting to see that there use to be a house way back in the corner of that property. You would never know this unless you were at the location we were at. I am on state property taking this photo and never stepped on the private lot.

Judging by the looks of the tires, someone long ago used what now is state property as a dump for engine parts, tires and rolled up fencing. I doubt anyone living there now had anything to do with it.

Everyone in the family was texting Jessica asking how she was doing after the booster. This is her answering their questions just before starting to feel tired.

And the final stretch back to the car.

And here is a bonus. There have been a few posts very recently about the use of VW Bugs in the pines. Well, you can see here that tradition is still going on. Enjoy.


https://youtu.be/sGDKEfue800

 

[bobpbx]

That vw was fixed up good. Stay on the roads though!

 

[Teegate]

The gate blocking the road at the blueberry field in 2019 and this past weekend. I am sure I have a much older photo as well but can't find it.

 

[Teegate]

Was at the IE (JE stone actually) a few weeks back and could not find it again. So we revisited today and it still is there. I had the camera on Manuel and did not realize so they are blurry. However, you can see the woods are really opening up.

 

[Teegate]

We spent the morning in the Calico area searching for stones. Again we came up empty. I did notice that the brush has been trimmed on the curve of Oswego Road that was closing in. That is the Batona Trail at that point so I suspect they may have worked in it.

For the first time in many years we ran into the Park Police between Harrisville and Calico. I am not happy at all with my new dash cam.

https://youtu.be/7OapHRRmM6k

 

[MuckSavage]

Why not?

 

[Teegate]

The quality is not as good. I was running just the one camera at full quality and was concerned about it, and when I attached the back camera it was worse. It is not noticeable when going slow or not moving; however, when picking up speed it is very noticeable.

 

[ecampbell]

I bought a Viofo dash cam A129 and love it. I bought the front cam but you can get a rear cam. I also bought a 128GB SanDisk but would double it.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07RZQJYDW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[Teegate]

Well, if I can't get this to improve I will be buying another one. I will keep that in mind. Thanks Ed.

 

[Teegate]

We returned to Calico today and headed again in the burn area looking for 3 of the Calico tract stones. At the first location the woods were wide open and we could not find it. Moving on just a little over 300 feet away in the burn area we had much better luck.

Calico tract stone.

Because I used the previous location to get to this location we backtracked and looked again. Total frustration. So we took a ninety degree turn and headed towards the Cutts bog and upon arrival we saw disturbance where we had hoped to find a stone. The vegetation was still semi thick there so in a couple weeks we will return.

We then again looked for an Oswego Tract Wharton monument that had a massive fire break running through the area and again decided that the monument is gone.

On our way home at Evans Bridge we saw the refreshment crew setting up for the Batona Trail beginning to end run that is still going on until 8PM tonight.

 

[ecampbell]

Batona Trail beginning to end run
That's what all the portapottys must have been about at the Carranza Monument.

 

[Teegate]

I assume so. Mike Baker from PBX ran that once and posted a photo on his website showing him at the end.

http://mikebaker.com/images/Mike41mi.jpg

You can read about it at the below link. Signup started at 3:30AM to 4:15AM this morning for the full run. The 33 mile signup was from 4:30AM to 6:15AM. Both signups were at Lake Absegami. Then you are shuttled all the way to the very beginning at Ongs Hat for the 55 mile run, and the 33 mile run you were shuttled to Batona Campground. It is interesting that at various points along the way you had to be there at a certain time depending on what race you were doing. If you did not make it in time you were stopped. The race ends tonight at 8PM no matter what.

Beast Coast Pro

beastcoastpro.com

 

[Teegate]

Well, if I can't get this to improve I will be buying another one. I will keep that in mind. Thanks Ed.

I eat lunch in my car at work, and have for 39 years, and when I got to my car one day this week my camera had fallen off the window. It was on the front seat. As I picked it up the lens was facing up and I noticed that this may have been causing my quality issues. I never took it off when I first bought it.

 

[Teegate]

All,

Yesterday, Jessica and I spent some time searching on state land behind the sod fields of the Tuckahoe Turf Farm. We found a few monuments and on our way along the field we noticed they were having a soccer tournament. It is amazing how many vehicle travels there. It was an advanced player day and I see online it cost $1200 per team. They were coming in mobile homes.

You can actually see the fields here.

NJPineBarrens Maps

Anyway, while walking out Jessica thought we had stumbled on a dead body. It was a skinned deer with only the antlers missing. Ben does not want us posting photos so I will pass on that.

This morning Jessica decided to sit out so I traveled again to Sharps Mountain to tidy up on the monuments and stones I have been searching for. It turns out I may be years looking there. After many visits I did find the state monument next to the large stone there.

Then to Sharps Mountain itself. I was not having luck finding a few so I widened my circle this time and spent a little more time looking. It paid off with this monument. The Wharton survey has many errors in this area for sure.

The long road back.

And a view of the rise of the mountain.

On my way in a car was already out there early this morning. I cautiously walked past it and continued on. On my way back it was gone. When I nearing my car I noticed a truck next to it. A man exited and said I looked familiar. It turns out we had run into each other on the power lines quite a few years ago. He remembered our encounter quite well as did I. He even told me that Jessica and I walked right past him one day last year while walking down a trail and we never saw him. He is 77 and is out there all the time. Lives in Atco.

The vehicle I saw earlier was his son-in-laws. He also told me he sees my car all the time parked on Atsion Road and Jackson Road which I explained was not correct. There is someone with the same car as mine who parks along the edges of roads and someone even posted a photo of the vehicle on Facebook recently and complained there were parking too far off the road and running over things. I was even notified at work one day by someone I know about this who though it was me. Luckily, I believe the Facebook website realized it may have been a mistake because by the time I got home I could not find the post to explain it was not me. So if you see a car like mine parked along a road it may not be me.

 

[c1nj]

Is there any relationship between the large stone and the monument?