Stone And Property Corner Searching...Fall/Winter 2020-2021

[PinesExplr]

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Yep, I'll bet that was it. Quite a large and complex event, could have been dangerous for someone wondering in. We walked up to the clearing but quickly left when we realized they were shooting arrows, and we were mid-range. Couldn't find any photos.

 

[Boyd]

"The Barony of Iron Bog"

 

[Teegate]

All,

On May 25, 2018 the state of NJ took ownership of the property on the south side of the dirt portion of Tuckerton Road. They purchased it from Haas Sand & Gravel. That would be this lot, again, on the SOUTH side of Tuckerton Road.

NJPineBarrens Maps

maps.njpinebarrens.com

I suspect they did not put up state signs or remove the Private Property signs to discourage vehicle use on this parcel. In any event, this acquisition connects to Wharton, and allows foot access to the rest of Wharton, but it is not an easy walk in certain area's. Jessica and I went looking for property stones today and explored the woods.

Tough going in some area's.

We eventually arrived at the unimproved Oriental Road that I doubt very few people know anything about. If you have ever looked over a map of the area you would see that Oriental Road ends right here.

NJPineBarrens Maps

maps.njpinebarrens.com

However, the improved road may end there but the legal road continues through the woods and exits at the house on Carranza Road that recently had a major fire. But don't think it is an easy walk.

Here is the road in 1931 when it was fully accessible. BTW, look just above the pointer and it appears there are charcoal locations. We did not have time to check them out but will later

NJPineBarrens Maps

maps.njpinebarrens.com

And here is a portion of it today. Notice it was built up above the rest of the land around it at this section.

Oriental Road, a fully public road.

The road is 6o feet wide but actually measure about 64. The road in the distant past has been surveyed and two of the monument are still there on the very edges of the road.

Just a few of the stones we found today.

 

[Boyd]

If you have ever looked over a map of the area you would see that Oriental Road ends right here.

NJPineBarrens Maps

maps.njpinebarrens.com

However, the improved road may end there but the legal road continues through the woods and exits at the house on Carranza Road that recently had a major fire. But don't think it is an easy walk

Cool! The NJDOT data that I used shows the paved portion of Oriental Road going just a bit farther Northeast than your link.

https://online.boydsmaps.com/#17/39.80262/-74.69398/pines2020

All the old topo's show it as a thru road, but the 1999 topo shows the middle section as a "trail" (single dashed line).

https://online.boydsmaps.com/#16/39.8038/-74.6888/pines1999

 

[Teegate]

I think you will find it is unimproved all the way except maybe a short distance at the main Oriental Road.

 

[Teegate]

All,

Over the years I have acquired quite a few deeds, and with many of them I really have no idea where to begin. One in particular has frustrated me every time I look at it. I have even mentioned to Rooftree about a stone being along the west side of the Sykes and to keep an eye out for it since he was spending quite a bit of time there after and before the fire. While working on last weeks search of the Cedar Bridge Hills development along 72, I happened to look over tax records of the area and one particular records solved the riddle for me. I brought up the old deed and using my Google Earth records I started comparing distances of the area with what the deed was telling me. Bingo! Some of them matched. So it was time to solve the riddle that has eluded me for years.

The deed says:

Beginning at a large stone on the west edge of the Little Sykes Branch, being also the beginning corner of Anthony Sykes "Mine Survey" made A.D. 1762 for 650 acres, of which this tract is a part, and the same point being the beginning corner of William Griffith's survey of 4085 acres A.D. 1819; also the beginning corner of Thomas Newbold's 73.34 acres, A.D. 1819.

Those who know the Sykes Branch, and were reading this as I was, would head along the western side of the Sykes and look for the stone. However, there is a second Sykes Branch not even close to the main one that I never even realized. Armed with this information I have spent quite a few hours here and have finally broke this deed.

So this morning Jessica and I went looking for the stone mentioned above. With almost a mile walk we reached the Little Sykes and started traveling the western edge as the deed mentions. I had three possible locations to look, and decided to go to the furthest one. It was quite dense and the question was how close to the edge was it? Jessica was behind me and decided to step off the upland and travel the moist edge. She made the correct decision and seconds later I was alerted that she had found it.

When the stone was placed there I am uncertain of, but as mentioned above someone was at this spot almost two decades before the Constitution.

We searched for another one but it is so dense that we most likely will never find it. Maybe if we got there right after the fire we might have a chance, but this area was only slightly burned and is still dense. There is another one we will be heading to very soon that is near the sand plant on 539.

 

[bobpbx]

That's very interesting Guy! I saw that 1762 date and was surprised.

Right now I'm reading volume II of "New Jersey as a Colony, and as a State" (Lee,1902). Very interesting to see how things developed. There were a lot more loyalists than I thought. And William Franklin (Ben's illegitimate son) was the last colonial Governor of New Jersey (1763–1776) and a loyalist. So he was Governor the following year that stone was laid in.

 

[RednekF350]

N

All,

Over the years I have acquired quite a few deeds, and with many of them I really have no idea where to begin. One in particular has frustrated me every time I look at it. I have even mentioned to Rooftree about a stone being along the west side of the Sykes and to keep an eye out for it since he was spending quite a bit of time there after and before the fire. While working on last weeks search of the Cedar Bridge Hills development along 72, I happened to look over tax records of the area and one particular records solved the riddle for me. I brought up the old deed and using my Google Earth records I started comparing distances of the area with what the deed was telling me. Bingo! Some of them matched. So it was time to solve the riddle that has eluded me for years.

The deed says:

Beginning at a large stone on the west edge of the Little Sykes Branch, being also the beginning corner of Anthony Sykes "Mine Survey" made A.D. 1762 for 650 acres, of which this tract is a part, and the same point being the beginning corner of William Griffith's survey of 4085 acres A.D. 1819; also the beginning corner of Thomas Newbold's 73.34 acres, A.D. 1819.

Those who know the Sykes Branch, and were reading this as I was, would head along the western side of the Sykes and look for the stone. However, there is a second Sykes Branch not even close to the main one that I never even realized. Armed with this information I have spent quite a few hours here and have finally broke this deed.

So this morning Jessica and I went looking for the stone mentioned above. With almost a mile walk we reached the Little Sykes and started traveling the western edge as the deed mentions. I had three possible locations to look, and decided to go to the furthest one. It was quite dense and the question was how close to the edge was it? Jessica was behind me and decided to step off the upland and travel the moist edge. She made the correct decision and seconds later I was alerted that she had found it.

When the stone was placed there I am uncertain of, but as mentioned above someone was at this spot almost two decades before the Constitution.

View attachment 14439

View attachment 14440

We searched for another one but it is so dense that we most likely will never find it. Maybe if we got there right after the fire we might have a chance, but this area was only slightly burned and is still dense. There is another one we will be heading to very soon that is near the sand plant on 539.

Nice work Guy !
I did a survey this week that I was originally going to turn down but I was long overdue for a challenge. The deed was unintelligible for many reasons but the property was bound on three sides by roads that were built or modified in the 1930's.
After getting staggeringly good records from Atlantic County Engineering and a 1927 survey from the property owner, I was able to fit things together like a glove.
Always a good feeling when the research pays off.

 

[Teegate]

Today we went looking for another stone behind the sand plant off of 539 but gave up because we were getting nowhere in the cedar swamp. We could have made it but we had already spent 30 minute trying to cross it and had other things to do.

Jessica pushing through. I forgot my camera at home so this is my cell phone.

We headed over to the red road and spent an hour looking for a stone out there and also came up empty. On the way back I saw this. I wonder if it is going to live?

We arrived at our car just in time to have a vehicle pass by with Vermont tags and a surf board on top. Odd!

 

[Teegate]

I was looking over aerials and noticed this.

We were just there yesterday in that area and decided to head back today to check it out. It has been there since at least 2004 and just missed by feet burning up during up in the Spring Hill fire.

We then revisited a place where Bob back in 2009 discovered what appears to have been a refrigerated storage unit that says on it "Division of Quaker Store Ship Bottom NJ."

Here is a Then And Now of the inside from 2009 and today. The inside has some paint in it and there are tarps in it also. Maybe it was used as a paint ball hideout??? Who knows.

It is an old blueberry field and it had a gate on the road in.

Maybe a table to clean blueberries?

I am most curious about this. It is a pipe in the ground and the top section is attached in some way. It does not move. Might be for a well.

There is a really nice Cedar Swamp nearby. Click the photo to make larger.

 

[bobpbx]

Yes, I like that area too Guy. Go back there frequently. The road and stream has some interesting flora. I bet that's a mount for a hand pump?

 

[Rooftree]

Bob, you are a better man then I when to comes to searching out flora. I've been in that area a good number of times and never found any interesting. flora. At the time, if the plant didn't have a bloom, I didn't know what I was looking at. However, with your help over the past couple of years, I think I might find something interesting now. I guess I need to make a trip there this coming year.

 

[RednekF350]

I was looking over aerials and noticed this.

View attachment 14452

We were just there yesterday in that area and decided to head back today to check it out. It has been there since at least 2004 and just missed by feet burning up during up in the Spring Hill fire.

View attachment 14453

We then revisited a place where Bob back in 2009 discovered what appears to have been a refrigerated storage unit that says on it "Division of Quaker Store Ship Bottom NJ."

View attachment 14454


Here is a Then And Now of the inside from 2009 and today. The inside has some paint in it and there are tarps in it also. Maybe it was used as a paint ball hideout??? Who knows.

View attachment 14455

It is an old blueberry field and it had a gate on the road in.

View attachment 14456


View attachment 14457

Maybe a table to clean blueberries?

View attachment 14458

I am most curious about this. It is a pipe in the ground and the top section is attached in some way. It does not move. Might be for a well.

View attachment 14459


There is a really nice Cedar Swamp nearby. Click the photo to make larger.


View attachment 14460

I'll take a guess at the mystery fitting. It looks like it is speer well-related and it would be mounted against a wall judging by the flat back. It also looks like it would screwed to a flat floor surface surface, looking at the screw holes in the flanged base.
Other than that, I got nuttin'.

 

[Rooftree]

Maybe a cast iron pitcher pump was attached to the fitting. Something like this.


Search Results for cast iron pitcher pump at Tractor Supply Co.

 

[Teegate]

Maybe a cast iron pitcher pump was attached to the fitting. Something like this.


Search Results for cast iron pitcher pump at Tractor Supply Co.

That most likely is what it was. It is interesting that it is in the cedar swamp on the rise of the upland. I bet his pickers used that as well as the table.

I did not walk around the complete field but I don't know of any other structure is still standing there.

 

[Teegate]

Jessica and I were on Sharp's Mountain today looking for property stones. We did not find any but visited one we had been at before.

I have discovered, I believe, some major survey mistakes over the years in that area. I just have to go back and find one of three stones to prove I am correct.

 

[RednekF350]

I have discovered, I believe, some major survey mistakes over the years in that area. I just have to go back and find one of three stones to prove I am correct.

Speaking of survey mistakes, have you ever been back to know you where to see if you know who ever corrected the errors ??

 

[Teegate]

No. I now have a name and address to report it to but have not done anything yet. Not sure if it is worth getting the surveyor, or the company, in trouble. I am torn on what to do. Plus, explaining that mess is quite confusing. I would prefer to meet and talk, but now is not the time to take that route.

 

[Teegate]

The deed says:

Beginning at a large stone on the west edge of the Little Sykes Branch, being also the beginning corner of Anthony Sykes "Mine Survey" made A.D. 1762 for 650 acres, of which this tract is a part, and the same point being the beginning corner of William Griffith's survey of 4085 acres A.D. 1819; also the beginning corner of Thomas Newbold's 73.34 acres, A.D. 1819.

The second line of the deed quoted above says:

North 25 degrees 35 minutes West 1796.56 feet to an old stone

This location is on the West side of the pond off of Stephenson road shown at the link below. However, it is in the area west of the pond that did not burn making it somewhat of a challenge to get to.

NJPineBarrens Maps

maps.njpinebarrens.com

We decided to cross the stream further North and bypass crossing at the pond. Upon arriving at our location on Stephenson we heard hound dogs barking nearby and soon a man and one of the dogs emerged from the woods. The man explained the dog was a pup and did not follow the rest of the crew. Very shy.

Then off we went looking for the stone. The going was easy until the last 900 feet. And we wasted our time because it is either not there or underground.

We did on our way there find a wooden bridge by the back of the pond and found an easier way back. There actually is a small cedar swamp there which you may want to check out. I would also try and cross the bridge and visit the other side. A nice place to relax and explore.

The view from the back of the pond.

The path in and we used it to exit.

It has been one year tomorrow since Bob, Jessica and myself visited the old tuck out there, and earlier in the morning Jessica and I went there again.

Here is a Then & Now from last year and this year.

Now, we had the truck as a 1947 Ford. However, what does this look like you you? Isthat GMC?

Jessica bypassing a large puddle.

https://youtu.be/QULxuzQlFnY

 

[bobpbx]

Something like this? I don't recall anyone saying it was a ford. We should look at the post.

48 GMC Truck - Bing