Any Railroad Experts Out There?

[Ripcon]

I was hunting Sunday in west central Mississippi at an old house site where I also found evidence of some civil war camp activity. The site is about 1,000 yards from the old Southern Railroad of Mississippi. I dug this piece of what appears to be railroad track. The only problem is that it appears way too small to be from a conventional railroad. Were the rails this small during the civil war era? Or maybe it's not from a railroad at all. Maybe this was a piece of track to something else. Any information someone could supply me would be very helpful. Thanks as always for any insight.

 

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[Charlie P. (NY)]

Definitely not track/rail.

Don't know what it is a piece of, though.

 

[buck8point]

The Plantations did use narrow gauge railroads to get Cotton/Sugar Cane from the fields to Gin/Refinery.
That part does not look like any of the track hardware ive seen though.

 

[Ripcon]

I did dig a few railroad spikes at the site. It's very strange, though.

 

[Tony in SC]

Looks like some broken frame work for a piece of machinery, saw, grinder, plane, etc.

 

[Bruce R]

It’s part of a circular shaker grate from a parlor stove.

 

[huntsman53]

It’s part of a circular shaker grate from a parlor stove.

I was thinking of the handle for a wood/coal stove shaker grate as well.

 

[Bruce R]

In all fairness though, the stove coulda been in a caboose or station house, keeping with the railroad theme.

 

[Ripcon]

Thanks guys. That would make sense. It just looked so much like a piece of track but you are spot on. Thanks!