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  • Pipe Forms

    My one, and only, field of dreams has been essentially played out for a few years now. But, when we first started hunting it, in 1991, the farmer plowed so deeply for several years, that when I walked it when first plowed, but not yet planted, the mounds on either side of me were up to my waist. I'm not sure how he plowed so deep and still managed to get his tractor out of the field. It had the effect of restoring productivity to a field that had not been hunted by others in many years.

    In those early years, there was an area that yielded pipe forms, made mostly of New England chlorite. We might have found about 8, most of which were broken in manufacturing. A few were complete forms, one with drilling started in the stem. It would be nice to find a finished product, but I think earlier generations of collectors(the farm has been there since the 1600's, but now way smaller) got those.

    Anyway, stopped there a few days ago, and surprised myself in finding a chlorite pipe form, the first one since the early years. As seen in the first photo, the finished shape is still there. It's very possible a stronger angle break would have been worked in eventually along the top length. In photo 2, the stem end was ground, prepared to take drilling of the stem. In the 4th photo, you can see why it was discarded, and looking straight on to the bowl in the last photo, some of the front of the pipe is still visible, and showing some grinding had occurred before it broke.

    This would probably class as a "bowl type" pipe, as are the other two examples seen below. Some type of perishable stem would have been inserted into the short stem portion of these Late Woodland pipes.

    Rhode Island

  • #2
    And here are two more chlorite pipe forms, broken in manufacturing. Bowl type pipe forms, from the same field years ago.....



    Rhode Island

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    • #3
      Great finds Charlie! I've yet to come close to one.

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      • #4
        Wow! Only pipe I've found is a colonial era Anglo clay pipe. Maybe one day...
        Child of the tides

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        • CMD
          CMD commented
          Editing a comment
          I'd love to find a colonial era pipe. We've found a few Victorian Era.

      • #5
        Nice looking preforms!
        TN formerly CT Visit our store http://stores.arrowheads.com/store.p...m-Trading-Post

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        • #6
          Hey Charlie, Those are some great finds and I really enjoyed your telling of the story. You had a good eye to spot some of those.
          Michigan Yooper
          If You Don’t Stand for Something, You’ll Fall for Anything

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          • CMD
            CMD commented
            Editing a comment
            Ron, there are so few rocks in the field, that I can afford to flip every rock I come across. The color grabbed my attention, but I did not know what it was until I flipped it out and picked it up. It was a surprise.

        • #7
          Hey Charlie - is that chlorite fairly light and easy to work.?? It kinda reminds me of the meerschaum type pipes that I used to smoke but I'm sure the material you have in the pics is much more dense. ...Chuck
          Pickett/Fentress County, Tn - Any day on this side of the grass is a good day. -Chuck-

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          • #8
            Originally posted by Scorpion68 View Post
            Hey Charlie - is that chlorite fairly light and easy to work.?? It kinda reminds me of the meerschaum type pipes that I used to smoke but I'm sure the material you have in the pics is much more dense. ...Chuck
            Chuck, if you're familiar with steatite, it's really the same thing. Soapy feeling, not sure of the density, but easy to work. The quarry site is just a few miles distant, and the quarry was the source for both steatite and chlorite. They preferred chlorite for the pipes for some reason.

            Rhode Island

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            • #9
              This one has an interesting story. It too is a chlorite pipe form, with the bowl partially reamed out, and drilling started at the stem. This was not a personal find, but found about 1/4 mile east of the field. A guy was putting in a cesspool on his property. About 6 feet down, he came upon a ball of clay. He broke it open, and this pipe form was inside!! There was no indication otherwise of a burial, and no other artifacts were found. Because it was found so close to what had by then become my personal field of dreams, I bought it from him.

              Rhode Island

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              • #10
                Thanks Charlie, very informative. Makes you wonder how many pipes were made at that site during it's occupation.
                Searching the fields of NW Indiana and SW Michigan

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                • #11
                  I guess they liked their pipes over there. Awesome thread, cool pics.

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                  • #12
                    Charlie, apparently clay pipes broke just about as fast as pipe makers could make them. I suspect most of the broken ones in towns like Williamsburg, Yorktown, etc. were tossed into the rivers & bay along with the rest of the trash and most were completely destroyed by time, weather, & water. Mine washed ashore after a nor'easter. Yours was much more robust! Lol
                    Child of the tides

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                    • #13
                      That is an interesting find. No telling how many were picked up there over the years. A pipe found six feet deep sure makes you wonder.
                      location:Central Ky

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