Stone Searching

[Teegate]

No. I really did not have much time and that is why I went so early in the morning. Plus, my mom stayed in the car along the road, and I seemed to have misplaced my street chalk. I will go back in a few weeks and look it over more closely.

Guy

 

[Teegate]

You may be interested in reading this. Scroll down to where it says THE FRENCH FAMILY.

http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~njburlin/documents/BassRivernj-history.txt


After reading all of this I am leaning towards the text to the right of the FF being the amount of acres (maybe 50), and the date below it being something like 1791 rather than 1891.

Guy

 

[manumuskin]

This is not the Adams Family I know! Where is Gomez?Morticia?Pugsley?Lurch and Thing?Where is Uncle Fester and GranMaMa?

 

[oji]

The Burlington County Health Department called me today about the asbestos. The state forwards it to the person who called me and they did not send the photo's or GPS cords to him. All he got was the street intersection I gave them. I guess he was calling to confirm it was legitimate and maybe to listen to what I had to say and decide if it was me who put it there so they would remove it. Who knows! In any event, they were sending someone out to remove it.

Guy

I went by there today and it's still there.

 

[Teegate]

Thanks Tom. The man who called me did not have all the info so I wonder if they did not find it. If I go by it again and it is still there I will photograph it a second time and notify them again.

Guy

 

[Teegate]

All,

I have always been a morning person so I again today headed out to stone search before sunrise. On the way I took this photo out my car window. Any idea's where?

I really was not expecting to find anything of importance, I was just looking in a few places that interested me. After finding a few basic concrete monuments I was really surprised to see this. Again, sorry for the fuzzy photo's as it was dark out still.

In recent years I have been much more careful on examining them, and after digging I discovered this was an important find. This is the JW 4 stone which helps Al and I with maybe finding the rest.

I used the flash on the 4.

After finding this one I moved on and again was treated to more than I expected. This appears to be another T stone like Al and I have discovered before. I will have to return with chalk soon.


In the middle under the tree.

It appears to be a T4 but the characters below it are confusing. If it is a date there is something odd about it.

It looks like 271 which may be the amount of acres the property was. If it is, this is only the second time I have viewed that.

I really did not have much time so at this point I had to head home. On the way I checked out this location where there once was a wooden frame house. The property was sold to the state in 1994 by a married woman from Jackson township. You can see the house on HistoricAerials.

The two poles for the chain with a deer carcass down the road. it was a killing field there.

Location of the wooden house.

You should be able to see the white circle showing the house in 1970 at the below link on HistoricAerials. You may have to zoom in somewhat. It does not appear to be there in 1963 and by 1995 it appears to be gone. It did not last long.

http://www.historicaerials.com/aeri...4464132287088&lat=39.66269233559928&year=1970


Guy

 

[Lloyd Taylor]

Guy, Wow so sweet, I will continue my search!

 

[bobpbx]

Good find Guy!

Is that the Wading River bridge heading northeast?

 

[Teegate]

Is that the Wading River bridge heading northeast?

Sure is!

 

[Teegate]

Next, we headed to the Goose Pond area.

http://maps.njpinebarrens.com/#lat=39.78116793748862&lng=-74.48284149169922&z=14&type=m&gpx=

Much of this property, and I believe the complete pond is owned by Haines. The green area on the above map is Bass River North aka The Spring Hill Tract. Al and I now have the survey for the Spring Hill Tract and I went today looking for the Sykes Stone. The Sykes branch passes through that area and Anthony Sykes most likely is where the name came from. I had good info that the Sykes stone had an "S" incised on it and I wanted to see it. Jessica and I was able to drive pretty close to it and decided to walk the rest of the way. Towards the end the briers were pretty tough and Jessica tonight looks like Harry Potter on her head Her legs are just as bad. Anyway, when we got to the stone we found two of them, or so we thought. I am thinking now it was one large one and the second one had broken off from it. Unfortunately, we did not find an "S". I will go back again and dig around it.

The Sykes Stone.

Jessica and I headed back today to visit the Sykes stone to finally see if there is the letter "S" incised in it. This property was surveyed in 1762 for Anthony Sykes and was called the "Mine Survey." As expected we came upon serious briers on the route there.

I had somehow forgotten to enter the cords in my GPS so after two calls home Jessica and I had to compare the map on my GPS to a printed map I had to find our way there. Eventually we made it. I don't often do this but digging it up was a must to settle this question and it did just that. It was struggle but I was able to pull it straight up and return it exactly as it was. If there was an "S" on it there sure isn't now.


All sides.

Shaped on this side like a Christmas stocking

Guy

 

[bobpbx]

As Fred Brown probably would have said..."she looks like she was well set in there Guy"!

 

[Teegate]

Fred would have been proud where that stone was and how it was set. And if not for the briers it would have a lake side view of Goose Pond.

 

[manumuskin]

I remember those briars.Getting there I bet through them,on the way back i followed the north shore of the pond back to the road that accesses the ne corner of the pond.a wetter but much easier route back.

 

[Teegate]

All,

I spent the morning and early afternoon exploring Friendship Bogs looking to find the property corners of the exclusions that were there when the state purchased the property in 1983. The two exclusions were the John Kasper tract and the DeMarco (Alloway) tract. The Kasper tract is the diamond shaped piece in the middle of Friendship Bogs. This is the top corner of the tract.


http://maps.njpinebarrens.com/#lat=39.73561548960997&lng=-74.58122491836548&z=17&type=nj1995&gpx=

But first I visited the remains of a small cinderblock building that was just on the edge of the property which many of us have passed by a million times and I just learned about from documents I have.

Located about here.

http://maps.njpinebarrens.com/#lat=39.73428714629854&lng=-74.58061337471008&z=17&type=nj1995&gpx=


Then I headed to the very southern tip of the Kasper tract to look for a stone. I actually had been there before many years ago and was not able to find it. Today was different.

I then switched gears and crossed over the main road and entered the Alloway/DeMarco tract and looked for a monument in the briers on the edge of a remote bog road.

Nearby, I was able to cross the canal using a beaver dam and found a rare cedar post still intact with the state sign placed there 30 years ago. There also was a concrete monument.

I then crossed over the road and again entered the Kasper tract and traveled through the woods to the far western side. Along the edge of a canal the state placed these in 1983 when Friendship Bogs was purchased. These have no use anymore since all of the property there is now state owned.

The cedar post at this location has fallen over and you can see both of the monuments. They used the most amazing yellow paint to last 30 years and still be almost all intact.

I have come to learn there are almost always clues to look for while stone and monument searching. One clue is a nail in a tree. This one will soon disappear.

Then to the next location where the yellow paint was still evident.

The cedar post at this location looks like it will be there for a while. It is quite remote and has little chance of human disturbance.

After 6 hours of exploring it was time to head home.

Guy

 

[manumuskin]

Your perseverance is amazing! I knew if those stones/monuments were there you'd find them ,even underground is no escape from the Master!