Obscure settlement deep in Bass River S.F.

[Tracker Jim]

A recent excursion, deep in the Bass River State Forest reveled more than I had expected... the ruins of some obscure settlement! Significant structures - one being over 48 paces long! I am interested in hearing from folks here who may be familiar with this site, and their thoughts as to what it may have been. I'm intentionally leaving the exact location vague for the sake of protecting what's left of these structures.

I don't believe I have ever heard anything about this place. Using Historic Aerials, the settlement appears between 1931 and 1951. There was clearly four buildings, two of which had cellars. One was huge - over 48 paces long, with a large cellar at it's north end. Later, after reviewing Historic Aerials, I found an additional six more structures hidden in the woods between 550 feet and 1,290 feet north-east of this area I photographed. These I have not yet visited.

The letters on these photos correspond to the letters on the following aerials. I haven't yet visited sites E through J.

After a good bit of investigating, no concrete leads have been revealed, save for a few speculative guesses. I am hoping the good folks here can shed some light on my mystery settlement.

 

[Teegate]

Heading to work. Will write later.

 

[Boyd]

Those look like the ruins on Oswego Rd. Have been there many times, but not recently. I was told it was part of an old development that didn't make it. I took a bunch of pictures myself maybe 10 years ago but can't find them now.

BTW, could you please re-size your photos before posting them? I almost gave up on this thread because it took more than 5 minutes to load on my slow DSL connection.

 

[bobpbx]

Yes, Guy is your man to give you detail on that. Funny thing is, 15 years ago this month, I did one of my first PBX trips in that area, and although we knew about those structures, we got screwed up and missed them twice! That is really lovely, wild country, as you can see by your ramble.

For some more flavor of the area, this is my trip report from February 2000. The trip was titled "Bass River Country". Note that only one of us had a GPS back then, they were still relatively new.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bass River Country was a pretty neat exploring trip. There were 5 of us, a perfect number. The day started out foggy but ended up being 65 degrees and sunny. We covered about 5 miles, and bushwhacked about 99% of it.

This was a very easy bushwhack. Although the terrain was hilly, with elevations approaching 145 feet in places, there was a fire the previous year, and most of the brush was literally gone. At times it was like walking through a meadow, that’s how easy it was. The vegetation was pine-blackjack oak, with several stands of nearly pure pine.

We started out about 5 miles South of the Warren Grove bombing range on the Oswego Road. We crossed Dan’s Bridge Branch of the Bass River and headed Northwest. It only took about 10 minutes and we were in the high country. Up and down, up and down was the order of the day. It was very wild country, with little evidence of people.

At one point, we followed a water-course up to the top of a hill and found the very source of the water. This was at the West Branch. The deer sign was heavy. We found a pool of water at about 120 feet up, which is unusual in the barrens. The water disappeared underground, only to reappear 30 yards further down. We all settled on the fanciful notion that this was the true source of the Bass River.

We then headed West into even higher country, at 148 feet. We sat down for a break, and noted that in the clearing we sat in, the woods on the South side had recently burned while the North side was untouched. We had to wonder, just what happened here during the fire? We blamed it on the wind.

We then headed Southwest for our rendezvous with a road we had to cross. We did get a glimpse of the dwarf forest after we got down to level ground. We also saw plenty of pyxie moss. After we left, we did get a little disoriented in a patch of briars, but Joe and his trusty GPS got us out of that one.

After crossing the road, Joe and Tony split off from us and walked the ridge while the rest of us walked a dry stream bed below. No matter where we went the going was easy. Tony brought along 2-way radios, which proved to be really handy. These radios will be useful if we get more than a dozen people.

Some of the events of this trip:

Alison’s foot went higher than her boot top in the creek as soon as we started and she got her foot wet.
The motorcyclist cutting pathways through the woods with a hatchet.
We found a bleached white turtle shell.
The spot up in the headwaters where bucks had been fighting (we supposed).
The dodder Mike pointed out to me. Dodder is a parasitic plant.
Joe had a bag of dried Kielbasa (good stuff Joe)
Joe got so sooty from the fire he looked like a chimney sweep.
The stream bed that wasn’t.
We over-shot a cabin site by a quarter mile while relying on the GPS, then overshot it again by the same amount using the compass (were lucky we got out of the woods with our skill).
We found a 55 gallon drum hanging 20 feet up in a tree (go figure).
Alison nearly starved to death but would not tell us to stop for lunch.

The last leg to the hidden truck was through some high country of burned up oak and white sand. We could see for several miles to the North, which looked like more good exploring country we’ll have to save for another time. Overall it was a good trip. We collectively gave it an 8 or 9 on the exploring meter.

See you next time and happy trails,…………Bob.

 

[oji]

The chicken farm?

 

[Tracker Jim]

Thanks Bobpbx, Sounds like a wonderful time! (as it tends to be). One thing I want to point out. You mention in the recount of the events of your Feb. of 2000 trip, "We over-shot a cabin site by a quarter mile..." The site in question appears to more than just a "cabin site" as is evidenced by the aerials in the above comments. Of the 10 apparent structures, the most notable one is so large that it is comparable in size to the packing house at Hampton!

 

[bobpbx]

Thanks Bobpbx, Sounds like a wonderful time! (as it tends to be). One thing I want to point out. You mention in the recount of the events of your Feb. of 2000 trip, "We over-shot a cabin site by a quarter mile..." The site in question appears to more than just a "cabin site" as is evidenced by the aerials in the above comments. Of the 10 apparent structures, the most notable one is so large that it is comparable in size to the packing house at Hampton!

True, it is large, but we were using a topo to mark the cabin sites, and they show up as a small square, and I think it would have been one of these 3 below. I can't find my route sheet to confirm.

 

[Tracker Jim]

Your in the correct spot Bobpbx. I was also assuming the structures circled in red were associated with the adjacent private property. There also appears to be three structures in the rough clearing between those circled in red and the ones featured in my photographs at the head of this post.

 

[Gibby]

I enjoy the large dune that the farm was almost built on. That location is one of the most beautiful landscapes in the area.

 

[Tracker Jim]

I enjoy the large dune that the farm was almost built on. That location is one of the most beautiful landscapes in the area.

Indeed! I like the area between this ruin site and the dam on Beaver Branch. Also interesting is the deep ravine at the very head of the Ives Branch.

 

[manumuskin]

I believe that was a hunting club.Been there a few times myself.I won't swear to the hunting club theory.Guy will know.

 

[Teegate]

The site in question was a farm owned by a man named Ed Graves. The large building in question was a chicken coop. I know this because Lost Town Hunter told me and that is the only reason why I know it. So lets let him explain it using a few clips from his emails to me and another person. These are edited somewhat as we were discussing a hill and he was telling this to the other person basically. I knew where he was referring to but she did not.


From Lost Town Hunter.


However, I do not know of any hill by that name (formally) in the vicinity of Ed Graves' old place. I knew Ed and was quite familiar with the hill country out back of his place (now destroyed) where once three gun clubs existed (now all gone).

And another email.


Ed Graves' homestead was along the north side of the Oswego-Munion Field Road (the Old Swamp Rd. of 1867) 1.15 miles west of the intersection of this and Allen Road. (It's the large white clearing with a single solid dot, the site of Ed's former bungalow, and a blank rectangle, the former chicken coop. The three black dots to the rear were the small hunting clubs that I mentioned earlier.

 

[Teegate]

Those hunting clubs (property) are still in use and during hunting season they arrive in mobile homes with TV antennas on them. Ben and I were there on one occasion when they were and we had to leave. Be careful going there during hunting season.

BTW, if I recall another conversation I had with Lost Town Hunter, Ed Graves was black. I guess that is the best way to say it?? Don't want to offend anyone.

 

[manumuskin]

Fifty years ago it would have been Colored.Black is the politically correct term now.African American might be even better.

 

[Jerseyman]

Fifty years ago it would have been Colored.Black is the politically correct term now.African American might be even better.

The preferred descriptor phrases these days are:

Woman of color
Man of color
People of color

Most people of color no longer like the phrase "African American" and most will tell you they are not "black."

Best regards,
Jerseyman

 

[manumuskin]

Thanks for updating me Jerseyman. I work in a place 60% Black at least they refer to themselves as black but many of them are old folks like me so they probably don't know any better either.The younger crowd will have to educate them..I"m guess that makes me a Person of No Color...except for my neck of course.I"m told that's red.

 

[Tracker Jim]

Well That Settles That! Thank you Teegate for saving that endangered correspondence! and right from the source - excellent! "oji", he knew - guess he's more than just flowers! Manumuskin knows also. Thanks guys for all your input.

 

[Teegate]

I suspect oji learned the same way I did.

 

[gipsie]

As always, great info! You guys rock!

does anyone remember any info about Ed Graves?

 

[oji]

I suspect oji learned the same way I did.

I sure did! We were in the area so Lost Town Hunter showed me where the hunting clubs used to be. There is little to no evidence of them ever being there. BTW, I believe he said he had Photos of Ed Graves and family.