Fruitland Monuments

[Teegate]

Don and Everyone,

We went looking for Fruitland property corners today and found a few more.

While looking fr them Jessica found this. It looks old but I am uncertain what it could be. It is anvil shaped and looks somewhat Like a shoe on one side. Is it bog iron?

If you are a semi serious explorer you need to go here and look around.


http://maps.njpinebarrens.com/#lat=39.736413717753244&lng=-74.7009577194977&z=16&type=hybrid&gpx=


If you go this winter and plan your route carefully through burned area's you can get there fairly easily without traveling on private property. It was an old cranberry bog and it is a most interesting place to explore. At least I thought so.


The old dam.

Breached.

Guy

 

[Don Catts]

Guy, you know that's one of my favorite areas to explorer. I can see you had a good trip and found a couple of more pieces to the Fruitland puzzle.
Although I have no idea as to what Jessica found, it has very little rust and sure looks like a bog iron item to me. And it looks oooold.
Also, great exploring, you are putting together a nice layout of that section of Fruitland.
Don
P.S. Nice pictures, that bog is cool.

 

[Teegate]

I never take anything out of the woods that is not mine so I left the bog iron there. I did get a GPS cord though.

 

[bobpbx]

Guy, remember the day you, me and Jess investigated that light bulb on the 95 aerial? I remember something happened to Jess that day. It was tough going in there. Tough as hell.

 

[Don Catts]

I never take anything out of the woods that is not mine so I left the bog iron there. I did get a GPS cord though.

That may be a historically valuable item. In any case it should be in the little museum room at Batsto. Maybe the picture in the right hands would be able to identify it and decide whether or not they want to retrieve it. The superintendent may not be the right hands, he has not shown me any interest in history at all.

 

[Don Catts]

My best guess - Could that bog iron be the waste part of a molded item. The funnel opening in the mold where you poured the molten iron into the mold. They usually filled it to the top, then when the iron cooled the mold was opened and this funnel part was snapped off as waste.

 

[smoke_jumper]

My best guess - Could that bog iron be the waste part of a molded item. The funnel opening in the mold where you poured the molten iron into the mold. They usually filled it to the top, then when the iron cooled the mold was opened and this funnel part was snapped off as waste.

That was kind I my thinking. It looks like like left over from pouring the iron into a mold, especially at the top. I would tend to think that if that's what it is then it would be in the earlier days of the forge or in its hay day when it wasn't so concerned about waste. Either way it looks very old.

 

[Teegate]

So what should I do?

 

[Teegate]

Guy, remember the day you, me and Jess investigated that light bulb on the 95 aerial? I remember something happened to Jess that day. It was tough going in there. Tough as hell.

I remember us doing that but can't remember what actually happened to her and can't find my photos if I took any.

 

[bobpbx]

So what should I do?

Put a wooden handle on the top of the taper and polish the bottom. Give it to Jess for an iron. She simply has to set it over a burner for a minute to get 'er hot!

 

[bobpbx]

PS: it really is a cool item, and with that porosity in the flat portion, it does strengthen the thought that it was a pouring.

 

[manumuskin]

so what was the light bulb?Looks like a good campsite except it's in a swamp

 

[Don Catts]

I never take anything out of the woods that is not mine so I left the bog iron there. I did get a GPS cord though.

Take picture, put it back, get cord's, - perfect Guy. The down side is someone else comes along picks it up and it's gone forever. I hope everyone READS AND UNDERSTANDS your post. I personally think you did the best thing.
Don

 

[johnnyb]

Did anyone notice that the map showing the place of Teegate's visit labels the stream running thru Lower Forge the Mullica? That river can't run in two channels a mile apart!

 

[bobpbx]

so what was the light bulb?Looks like a good campsite except it's in a swamp

It was briar swamp just like all the rest of the area. Obviously an artifact on the aerial. I knew that possibility going in, but had to see for myself.

 

[Boyd]

I personally think you did the best thing.

That would seem to conflict with your earlier statement.

In any case it should be in the little museum room at Batsto.

I also like Guy's policy. I am the same way, this topic comes up from time to time. Many people here have made the argument that "somebody's gonna pick it up, so it might as well be me since I will show it the proper respect". Personally, I try to leave everything as I found it. I don't feel I have a right to remove something that has been lying around the woods for a hundred years. And the State doesn't think you have the right to do that either.

 

[ecampbell]

Did anyone notice that the map showing the place of Teegate's visit labels the stream running thru Lower Forge the Mullica? That river can't run in two channels a mile apart!

I can't view NJPB maps today, all I get is a white screen.

 

[Boyd]

It is working for me right now. Guy's link above opened right up. http://maps.njpinebarrens.com/#lat=39.736413717753244&lng=-74.7009577194977&z=16&type=hybrid&gpx=

 

[Don Catts]

That would seem to conflict with your earlier statement.



I also like Guy's policy. I am the same way, this topic comes up from time to time. Many people here have made the argument that "somebody's gonna pick it up, so it might as well be me since I will show it the proper respect". Personally, I try to leave everything as I found it. I don't feel I have a right to remove something that has been lying around the woods for a hundred years. And the State doesn't think you have the right to do that either.

I don't see a conflict. If you are talking about " In any case it should be in the little museum room at Batsto. Maybe the picture in the right hands would be able to identify it and decide whether or not they want to retrieve it." I don't think that conflicts with any of us leaving things where we find them. The right hands such as the state historian surely has the right to retrieve it if he thinks it should be in a museum. If historians and archeologists left everything where they found them, all the museums of the world would be empty.
However, with all the conflict and confusion I think we are on the same page. Anything we find should be left as we find it, I just added it is a good idea to record the data.

 

[Teegate]

Put a wooden handle on the top of the taper and polish the bottom. Give it to Jess for an iron. She simply has to set it over a burner for a minute to get 'er hot!

I think you are going to pay for that!