Encyclopedia of Marks found on French Fur Trade Axes
A list of known marks on French Fur Trade Axes in the 17th and 18th centuries.
Ground Finds
The Billhook War Scythe Sickle Tool Weapon I found this weekend
I found this large blade buried this weekend, which appeared at first to me to be a small-ish blacksmith made forged iron brush scythe blade. We have plenty of existing 19th century factory made scythe blades at the fort, and this looks nothing like those.
French Folding Knives, a.k.a., “Clasp Knives” in the Fur Trade
The French folding knife, a.k.a., “clasp knife” imported into the North American Fur Trade was one of the earliest known type of knife to be introduced to the New World – dating back to the 1600’s, possibly earlier. These blades have been recovered from French influenced sites throughout the territory of New France, which extended from Louisiana to Canada.
Preservation Progress on Byrnside’s Fort: cleaning 200+ year old logs and beams
It’s not easy restoring old log cabins. Fortunately, we only have the inside to deal with, since the outside got to keep its board and baten siding, and it now mostly finished. Once the old pre-Civil War plaster comes down off the walls inside, it’s a big mess. Even after it’s cleaned up, it’s still a mess.
A new Quarantine Find: Biscayne Axe find from Addison, Vermont
This is yet another Biscayne Axe, a metal detecting ground find relic. They aren’t necessarily exciting or unusual, since they all look mostly the same. But they’re the real deal – no doubt about it, if that’s what you’re looking for. This was found in Addison, Vermont. These early 17th and 18th century axes seem to be found more often in Canada than in the U.S.A., but this was was found in the U.S.A. technically.
So-called Jesuit Rings: French Fanaticism, Native American Trade, and Spanish Treasure
Now for the good stuff, which has definitely taken me down a 17th century rabbit hole, led me to Spanish treasure, French shipwrecks, and more Catholicism I ever wanted to encounter after attending a Catholic High School.
New Jamestown Belt Axe Found? The Mullet-Poll Murder Hatchet.
I found a very close version of our Jamestown belt axe / hatchet which I frequently discuss in posts. I had never seen another like it. Unfortunately there’s no accompanying information showing where it was found. It came out of a collection in New Jersey, is all I know. But take a look at how close it is to the Jamestown p
Pipe Tomahawks
One of the top contenders for the coolest historic artifacts related to American History has to be the pipe tomahawk. Like the Kentucky Rifle, with it’s distinctive patchbox and long rifled barrel, the pipe tomahawk is also distinctly American.
Scissors dug at the site of Fort Pillow
At the start of chapter 29 of his Life on the Mississippi (1883), Mark Twain mentions passing by “… what was once the formidable Fort Pillow, memorable because of the massacre perpetrated there during the war … we must bunch Anglo-Saxon history together to find the fellow to the Fort Pillow tragedy.”
Some preservation work on 18th century knives, spoons, and thimbles from Byrnside’s Fort
This was an old knife found in the yard. Fortunately it still had a little bit of the bone handle with the cross cut design on it. Those get really crumbly and want to fall off. Moreover, it’s difficult to restore/preserve the iron portion of the knife without destroying the bone. I did my best though, and glued the bone to the tang, and also put a sealant on it to stop any further crumbling.