Property Stones And More... Fall 2022/ Winter Spring 2023

Teegate

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Sep 17, 2002
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All,

First, I just want to mention again that the Thunking Mill sign on Carranza road is inaccurate, and from now on I am going to use the proper "Turning Mill" reference when speaking about it.

I have visited all of the current property corners of the Turning Mill property in the past, and have been reviewing the previous deeds to the property which was considerably larger years ago. Recently, Richard Franzen from the Tabernacle Historical Society showed me a map from 1813 that shows the Abel Harker property which consisted of some of the current Turning Mill property. I have visited quite a few of the corners previously and noticed one of the corners on the map shows a stone and I did not find one there even though I had another map also showing a stone. I figured with it being there in 1813 it might have been missing , so when I was there I looked and forgot about it. So after seeing the map I decided to go back today.

While looking over the deeds last night I noticed that some of the deeds mention a post in the north side of the mill race for the Turning Mill and since I was going by that way to again visit the location mentioned above, I figured I would stop in and explore the mill race some more. So a little after 8 this morning I arrived there and using my GPS I walked to about where it should be. I figured I would not find anything since a post was mentioned but to my surprise I actually found a stone there.


Read this closely. The post is 3 chains and 36 links (221.76 feet) from the Turning Mill corner on the North side of the race. The turning mill corner currently has a stone so I worked from that.

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And this is the stone.

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And you can see it is on the North side of the race.

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I was stoked after finding this and moved on to look for the stone I originally was after. A half mile walk through fairly easy briers I arrived there for a second look. This is the corner of the Boy Scout property near Butterworth Bogs and they placed a plastic stake in the ground at the location where they felt was their corner. They obviously never found the stone which I was able to do today. Their stake is 40 feet off.

The 1813 Abel Harker map showing a stone.

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And the stone or stones I found today. It may be two stones or maybe the same stone. Sometimes both property owners place a stone next to each other. I really don't know if it is one or two. The ground was frozen so I had to work hard to get the stones to show. The one on the right comes right out and I was holding it. The other is solid.

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Teegate

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I again explored the former Arthur Reeves bog area along Pasadena Road near Bullock looking for property corners. I was there many years ago and decided to give it another go. Unfortunately, I again came up empty. It is an interesting area. The bogs were an exception to the Hanover Farms property when it extended all the way from Browns Mills to Greenwood forest near Old Half Way.



The causeway bridge still was sturdy but the beavers have the water level of the bog up 3 feet.

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I passed this years ago and never saw it until today. Looks home made to me. The ground was frozen and the water level low or I may have had some trouble taking the photo.

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Teegate

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I can't find my photo from the last time I was there. I will continue to look
 

Teegate

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I was on the power lines in Medford this morning looking for stones and came up empty. Other than the briers it was a nice early morning explore with nobody around.

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Looked for a Wharton monument in a spung and only found this. The monument is more than likely there but I just could not see anything.


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The view.

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bobpbx

Piney
Staff member
Oct 25, 2002
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Pines; Bamber area
I recall you found a green acres marker in that area before (if my memory is correct).

Fralinger surveyor. Must be one of Scott's competitors.
 

Teegate

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Yes, I found a couple. Fralinger does quite a bit of work for the state.
 

Teegate

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Today we traveled to Lebanon and went looking for monuments along the South Branch of the Mount Misery Brook. One of them we visited in 2014 but I was not able to fully view the stone. So today my plan was to take a shovel and get a better look. Unfortuantly, when arriving I realized I forgot it so I had to dig with my walking stick which was only semi helpful.

This shows the monument in 2014 and again today. It is sinking in the ground and will eventually disappear.

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I dug up the stone as best I could and will return again. It appears to be much larger than we can view.

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Tonight, while looking over my Google map info of the MacDonald's Branch nearby in Lebanon, one of the deeds I had in front of me gave the answer to a question I have had for 9 years. Back in 2014 Jessica and I visited a stone that was inscribed with the letters BW and I never could figure out who the letters represented.

This is what we first encountered in 2014.

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After removing the moss in 2014 we found this inscribed BW.


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It turns out this property on the MacDonalds Branch was owned by John H. Bunting until he sold it to Barclay White (BW) on December 24th, 1844 as well as adjacent property sold to Barclay by others. Barclay White was the father of J.J. White and grandfather of Elizabeth White who's home you may have visited at Whitesbog.

What is interesting to me is the deed mentions other stones on the same property that are also incised BW that I did not know about. I will be working on finding them if they are still around.

And this was my final photo in 2014 when we were leaving. I covered the stone over carefully to keep it hidden and it looks almost exactly the same as when we arrived.

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Teegate

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I figured out that we already found the other BW stone. I just did not clean it fully off. I will be returning. It is interesting that this stone was right along a road at one time. I could see the tracks in the ground. The road has since been altered.

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Teegate

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I went out early this morning to the McDonalds Branch to again check on the stone in the photo above to see if it has the Barkley White (BW) letters on it. But first I looked for two stones that the deed describes.

Parked along Muddy Road. This photo is when I was leaving. It was semi dark when I got there.

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The area I looked in was wide open. Walking along the edges of the swamp was really nice but not productive. I did not find the stones.

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I then traveled to the other side of the branch and arrived at the stone from 2014.

I dug around it and uncovered a state monument from around the 1940s when the property was surveyed. Cleaning off the dirt I did find the letter W but the other letter appears to be a J. It is possible that sometime after Barkley White's estate passed it on to J.J White the stone was replaced and the J was added. Not really sure. J.J. White acquired it from the estate of his father Barkley White on January 22, 1908.

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Teegate

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This morning I headed to the south side of Atsion lake in the far back looking for one of the Princeton cedar swamp study area's. I did not find anything at the location I was looking. I did get to the back of the lake though.

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Usually I walk the road where it crosses Salters Ditch but today I noticed this board across the creek and took that route. While crossing it I noticed an old dam or foundation for a bridge in the ditch so I sat on the board and took a photo of the structure.


The board.

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The structure. I have walked by this for years and never saw it.

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From the back showing both structure and board.

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I then headed to Friendship Bogs to revisit a monument I found many years ago and can't find my photos. I wanted to check if it was still there as it was close to falling in the culvert.

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smoke_jumper

Piney
Mar 5, 2012
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Atco, NJ
I considered that board more of a beam lol. There is more wood downstream from there too. I figured that was washed away. We were trying to figure out what that structure could have been since it seems to block the flow of the canal.
 
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Teegate

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I spent the morning in Lebanon today and searched for a monument that I have looked for for years. With a little fire in the recent past it was easier to find.

NJ42

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You can see the survey line in 1931 aerials so it was around that time it was placed there. I have never found out the purpose for this particular monument and others like it along the line. The line goes completely across Lebanon but you can see it really well here.

 
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