Some kind of copper clamp

[Kevin75931]

Found near where a house stood up until the 1920s or 1930s. I do not know what happened to the house.

Measures 3 inches long and 1/2 inch wide, made out of copper.

I figure it is a ground clamp. Trying it on a piece of pipe it fits a 2 inch pipe, which measures 2 3/8 outside diameter. So what kind of ground clamp needs to fit a piece of 2 inch pipe?

I am trying to figure out the house location. I know close to where the house was at and was hoping this can help in my search.

 

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[Rustynailsandscrews]

One half of a grounding clamp. It would have been used to ground electricity to a pipe or stake. Your's maybe older but they are still made today with usually two screws holding the clamp together. If the well was a two inch pipe in the ground then you used a two inch clamp.

 

[Kevin75931]

One half of a grounding clamp. It would have been used to ground electricity to a pipe or stake. Your's maybe older but they are still made today with usually two screws holding the clamp together. If the well was a two inch pipe in the ground then you used a two inch clamp.

Thank you and grounding to a well is not something I thought about.

 

[Rustynailsandscrews]

One half of a grounding clamp. It would have been used to ground electricity to a pipe or stake. Your's maybe older but they are still made today with usually two screws holding the clamp together. If the well was a two inch pipe in the ground then you used a two inch clamp.

It's an old fashioned way of grounding electricity found even today in rural areas but not code approved. A well pipe driven into the ground full of water is an excellent ground. Code here would be an 8 ft. stake dedicated to and at your panel box. The problem with grounding to the well is that in old copper and metal pipe systems is it can travel to the plumbing fixtures and everything would be live at that moment.

 

[vhs07]

If this is the area you refer to as fitting a 2" pipe, then I can't see this as being part of a ground clamp.
Also, where would the ground wire tie into?

 

[nhbenz]

There are markings between the two holes, something like "C.?? Co. 1/8" (I can't figure that fraction makes any sense, but that's what it looks like). If we were able to figure the marks out, maybe that would make a positive ID easy?

 

[Anduril]

^ I agree w/ vhs07.
This doesn't look like a pipe ground clamp to me either, though it may be some other sort of electrical connector.

Can the OP please post a photo (looking into) the far right thickest part of the item?

 

[villagenut]

Looks more like half of a pipe clamp rather than a grounding clamp

 

[Kevin75931]

If this is the area you refer to as fitting a 2" pipe, then I can't see this as being part of a ground clamp.
Also, where would the ground wire tie into?
View attachment 1368997

Yes.

There are markings between the two holes, something like "C.?? Co. 1/8" (I can't figure that fraction makes any sense, but that's what it looks like). If we were able to figure the marks out, maybe that would make a positive ID easy?

C.-S. Co. 1/2"

^ I agree w/ vhs07.
This doesn't look like a pipe ground clamp to me either, though it may be some other sort of electrical connector.

Can the OP please post a photo (looking into) the far right thickest part of the item?

There is a small solid wire that is soldered into the hole.

The area where this was found did not get electrify until the 1950s. The house was gone by the 1930s.

Could it have come off a telegraph line?

I found a Model T tire valve stem nearby. Could the thing have come off a car?