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I am not a relic hunter myself (yet! 🙂 ) though I am always excited to see what folks find. It is a way to discovering and preserving history. do you relic hunt and have you found anything interesting?
Please share with us and if you have any photos include them too, it would be great to see some finds!
I grew up in a small town in West Virginia that was founded by General Adam Stephen, who served under George Washington in the Seven Years’ and Revolutionary wars. Thirty-some-odd years ago, our 4th grade class took a tour of his home, which had been restored to its 18th-century appearance. While walking the grounds, I found a ring sticking up out of the mud – a plain but very large ring, likely a man’s ring, with a rectangular stone in it. I ran off to the teacher yelling, “I found a ring! I found a ring!”
The teacher suggested I “donate” it to the group who oversaw the property; I did, and never found out what happened to it.I had practically forgotten about that incident until a few years ago when I learned Gen. Stephen was cashiered from the army for drunkenness during the battle of Germantown. Funny how they didn’t tell us that in 4th grade…
That is a great find! Especially being younger that would be really exciting. Hopefully the property owners identified what they could of it and it is on display somewhere on the grounds. It would be cool if even there was something on the display tag that read “Found by 4th grader on ground while on tour on date etc…”.
I haven’t myself found anything that exciting. Another member made a post about some things they found near an old fort in Bayonne, New Jersey. Hearing stories like these inspire me to dig a little more into the historical Philadelphia maps and see what areas might be legal and open with permission to responsibly uncover a little history.
I hope to have some photo’s and additional information of the cannon ball found at Bayonne (Texaco site) in the not too distant future. Yes old maps help a lot, as well as local historic societies. Good Hunting,
Hello, Capt Pete here, sorry for the long delay in responding. The first are documents of the revolution which mention british forces, probably German, firing at our small fort on Bergen Point from Staten Island. The second our cannons shooting at their ships near Shooter’s Island. The next map from Dr Robinson’s maps, our local historian, shows the primitive log fort and house at Bergen Point, now Texaco’s property. Much of this property was filled in over time to approximately double the land mass. A more modern map would show the change in size. A second fort, Fort Delancey was constructed at approximately 51st. in Bayonne, N.J.. This fort changed hands a few times between our militiamen and the British. More maps and information to follow.
Hello Capt Pete,
No worries at all, thanks for sharing more about your hunting. It sounds like there was some action in the area, and great to find some details mentioning it. Did you know much about it before you found the site, or did you look for more once you knew in general it has seen some Rev War action?
I surely look forward to more maps and info!
Hello everyone, I hope some of the maps provided some interesting information. First,Marshall stack’s story was very interesting. I hope he keeps his curious mind active, he seams to have a good eye for recognizing things that others miss. Most of my interest in history goes Bach to when I was young. Dr. Robinson our unofficial historian unfortunately passed away in June 1980. He was 79 years old . He was an educator and historian. Many of the map copies he gave to me. He also wrote many historical articles and booklets. Much of which can be found in the Bayonne library. I am sure he would be proud to see his historic information an that of rev war history, still of interest to us all. I hope to up load additional maps that will provide more information and interest on the rev war and our history.
The maps and information are great, thank you for posting/sharing them. Were you familiar with much of the history before finding the site, or did you start to look more deeply into it after finding some artifacts?
Do you know if any prominent figures from the Revolution spent time in or had any camps in Bayonne?
Thanks,
DanHello history hunters. I do not know of any Rev War personage in Bayonne at this time. I do know that the British used Bayonne to forage for livestock and wood to supply themselves on Manhattan. At the end of the Rev War, General Washington, on his barge to say good-by to his officers in Manhattan, received a salute from citizens on both shorelines. There was much cheering and gunfire salutes, both musket and cannon. Attached are two photos of Bayonne, one is much before 1860, the other 1967 showing Bergen Point filled in on what is now Texaco property. I hope some of the information was interesting and informative to you. If I get any more information, I will pass it on. Keep digging responsibly.
Great maps! I would imagine being so close to New York City, that Bayonne saw a fair amount of visitors/foragers. It’s interesting to wonder who might have been there and what they did. The maps are helpful too in understanding the Bayonne area and what has built up over time. It must have been great to learn about and then find some of the history from the Revolution there. Amazing story, thanks for sharing the details. I’ll surely keep Bayonne in mind as I learn more about the Revolution
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