Evidence of old homesteads found on our property
Look what I accidentally dug up on the farm today. I believe it's a very old mill stone for grinding corn or wheat.
I was digging to make a small pond near one of our springs when I found it. I'm sure it's from one of the old homesteads that were on our property. We had a neighbor who was 92 when he told us that each spring on our property once had a cabin near it. Now, this was so long ago that he didn't remember it, but he remembered his father telling him about it.
Since my neighbor mentioned all the old homesteads that use to be on our old gravel road, I have found evidence of this at three of our springs. We found an old fireplace lentel at one spot and I dug up several hand sawn pieces of lumber and broken pieces of cast iron pots at another site and now this mill stone. They are the only remenants of the old cabins from the early to mid 1800's here.
Some of these sites could be much older. Our neighbors have the original foundation to one of the oldest houses in the county which was built in 1799 on their property.
I'm guessing at what this is, but I can't imagine it is anything but a mill stone that broke and was tossed aside. You can see that the outside circumference is worn smooth and their are no grooves on the top or bottom which are also not worn flat. With a little digging I found that many mills were vertically placed to use their edge instead of the larger sides.
Below is the old lentel stone that went over the fireplace in one of the old homesteads. It was the same neighbor that showed us where it was located. Now it's our front porch step.
If you have any ideas or other information on what I think is an old mill stone please let me know.
Wow .. A discovery that has a high historical value. You have opened history in 1799. It is interesting to know.
Thanks for sharing @qberry
Great post
Thank you. I love this old stuff and the history of our area.
You are welcome.
Sometimes old stuff can make us think how people used to work and interact with others. very different from modern times now
wow really cool! i love these olds signs of a time long gone, but still living on through your homestead! man, i LOVE stuff like this! resteemed @the-hearth!
Awesome. I really thought so. It was like finding treasure.
That's so cool! It sure reminds us all that lots of people have lived on the land before us. It must have looked like a different place back then. I'm looking forward to how you end up integrating it into your place, like you did with your doorstep.
Thank you. Yes it really did look different. Back then there were nearly no trees at all. They had all been cut down so corn could grow and for lumber. I enjoy the history of it.
Looks like a millstone to me! Very cool! I wanted to be an archaeologist when i grew up. Still do, i guess.
Thank you. I always loved archaeology too. It was so exciting to dig this up. It's smaller and different than all the other millstones I've seen but I'm sure that's what it is. It was apparently used vertically. I hadn't seen that before I started googling for it.
Dude that is totally amazing! Such great energy for so long. I really want to come out and explore during the day sometime. Morels are almost out!
Thank you.. Come on out any time!
I'd set that baby up in a beautiful place and surround it with perennial edibles and make it the centerpiece of the display!
That is exactly what the wife (@qberryfarms) is planning. Thanks!
Cool. We often find treasures of the Second World War. For example, a boot of a German soldier or a jug of the early 20th century
Wow, that's cool. I love finding this old stuff. It's neat to have some history with the land.
WWhat a cool find, finding it must be a sort of sign that confirms your homesteading shoice an dlocation is right
Thanks. Yes, exactly. It's nice to think of the early homesteaders here at the same spot.
That is pretty special
It's really cool to find old stuff on your land. I grew up in an old house that had had a doctor living there. We used to dig up old bottles behind the barn. I guess that was his dumping place.
The only old thing we've found here was an early 1800's Canadian coin. It was where we located our manure pile.
With all the springs, I bet you will be finding cool stuff for a long time to come. :))
That's cool. I love the old medicine bottles. We have found a few of those too. I love the blue ones. Thank you!
Now THAT is cool!
Thank you very much. I sure got excited about it.