Questions about square nails

[Gooddog]

Saturday I went and hunted this place I remembered going to when I was a kid. There is an old driveway completely grown over with grass and these mysterious mounds (also covered with grass) that I found when I was maybe 13 or so. Anyway I went there Saturday and started detecting near this old oak tree (I always like starting by trees, lol) and immediately got a good signal. I dug it up and it was an old rusty square nail. This nail was about 4" long with about maybe 3/8" or so square and tappered down to a dull point. I only had a couple of hours of free time to dig and in that time I uncovered at least 20 old square nails, the smallest are only maybe 2" long and about 1/4" square at the flat end and the largest are maybe 5" with a 3/8 or so square end. I also found a round flat piece of metel with a Minnesota DNR tag on it that says something about it being a covered well (this disc was exposed in a flat area off to the left side of the mounds) and on the other side of the mounds (there are maybe 6-8 undulating grass covered mounds) is an old weathered cement slab maybe 2 x 4 feet. If anybody can tell me how old these nails are or if they are worth any money it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

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[Gooddog]

I visited the site of the strange mounds again and did some detecting around the cement slab. There I started to find some round nails. This really confused me because on my first trip there all I found was square nails. Without revelaing the site, I showed this old man I know the square nails and he told me that he thought square nails were out of use by 1880. WOW . This means that I have found a site that is at least 125 years old. I showed him some of the round nails I found by the cement slab and he thought that maybe they were used later on when a front porch was built onto the building to make a double door entry and keep out the cold or maybe siding was added to the building later on.

I have explored maybe only 5% of this site. I want so bad to just take a day or two off work and completely canvas the site, but this is not practical to me at this time. Also I have to keep moving stuff out of my rental this weekend and probably next cause I have to be out by the end of the month, so it might not be until June until I can really take time off to explore this site, but you can bet that I am very excited woo hoo woof woof.

 

[omnicognic]

sounds great! Keep us posted! Good luck Happy Hunting!

P.S I feel for you, I know how much moving sucks!

 

[desmobob]

Square nails are still used today... hardened cut flooring nails look just like the antique ones.

http://www.mazenails.com/catalog/catalog.pl?page=PAGE28&group=CUT2

Good hunting,
desmobob

 

[PrizmIV]

We find wells all the TIME down here in Alabama. Make sure that they state forestry doent own them . (we got in trouble). As for old wells once houses were torn down old wells were exposed and the government kept them as research for ground water pollution etc. and research stations.Most arnt used anymore. I dont know why but they intrest me so much. Partially because there is a big thing coming out of the ground that says do not remove The wired thing was that they wouldnt tell us what they were for?!?!?! I dont get it anyway be careful because some are VERY deep. I also dont understand why they would care, they havnt been used in years
HH Jonathan P.S. most times there was a silver large pipe coming out. (i mean u could fit in the pipe) with a cylinder on top and a little glass window. Maybe there hiding something?!?!

 

[MDnoob]

All kinds of things are stored underground by the govt. and others, from The Hall of Records to radioactive waste to diesel fuel. I wouldn't worry too much about them and just be glad they are marked and covered. Sure are mysterous though huh?

I live near an dynamite plant which blew up in 1942, before that on the same ground was a huge mining/foundry complex. "City water" being pumped in is a relatively new concept, so back in the day, everywhere needed to have wells for drinking water. There are plenty of them around, and quite a few mineshafts too. Watch out! Fortunately, most of them are covered.

I don't know exactly when square nails went out of use, and that probably depended on who was buying them and wether or not the local blacksmith felt like making them... Around the turn of the century probably...

 

[rvbvetter]

I consider finding square nails a good thing. If there's no visible structures. It aids in helping me date the site as well as whether the land was ever occupied. Square nails are a good indicator that the site was inhabited as early as 1900, and perhaps before. As far as value, i've never heard of those nails being overly valuable. But i might be wrong on that. I like them though, and have some for display.
I don't know where this is. But could there have been an oil well there? Good luck on it.
Where there's been people there should be a coin or two, maybe more. As well as some nice relics.
HH

 

[Leon]

Sounds like an interesting site,,, keep us posted...
Where there are square nails, there is usually silver...
Don't let the nails get ya down, keep dig'n them,,, some are easier to tell if there a nail, or not, Otheres, Well, as I have learned, it just might be silver...
Good luck & Happy hunting~