I am back from one of my funnest trips yet, Diggin' In Virginia XLIV, at Fair Oaks Farm, in Jeffersonton Virginia! The scenery, the relics, the diggers, and the overall experience was awesome. Now that I am back in Kentucky, I almost feel homesick for my old home state. I'll put up a few pictures, and add some stories to them. I hope y'all like it!
The drive through Southern, West Virginia into Virginia is breath taking. We passed of parts of the New River, Saw huge mountains, and some of the prettiest farms you will ever see. We passed historic spots like Virginia Military Institute, where Stonewall Jackson was a teacher, Cyrus McCormick's farm, where he developed the reaper, Charlottesville and Culpeper which were huge centers of Civil War activity. Charlottesville was where I was born, and Culpeper is where I first lived. This pic was taken in just after the WV/VA border.
This was sunrise, the first morning of the dig. This is Fair Oaks farm, near Jeffersonton Virginia. It was established in 1838, and was the site of a decent sized artillery battle.
As soon as the car stopped the first morning, I headed off towards the woods, not to be seen by my digging group until quitting time that night. I found nothing but iron square nails for hours, before somebody took me aside, and fixed my detector. I had it set for Kentucky soil, not the heavy ironized soil of Virginia. I thanked him, and immediately got a signal, which turned out to be a piece to an iron spur.
I walked about the hills, and woods for about five hours finding nothing but nails. I decided to walk to the far corner of the map, where A.P. Hill had his rebel headquarters. I walked for what seemed to be an hour, and then I found myself on the outskirts of Jeffersonton. I consulted my map, and concluded that I was at least 500 yards out of the boundary. I never saw the orange boundary flags. I walked past them while detecting. I got back in the lines of our dig, and fought my way through a jungle of briars until I found myself on a large hill, in a field.
There was a small house near the hill, so I detected there for about half an hour. I found about ten horseshoe half's, and five whole ones. I think a stable was nearby.
The tree's in Virginia grow pretty big, evidence to the fact that Virginia is a historic state. This tree was a little bigger than a sapling when rebel and yankee troops visited this house during the war.
The drive through Southern, West Virginia into Virginia is breath taking. We passed of parts of the New River, Saw huge mountains, and some of the prettiest farms you will ever see. We passed historic spots like Virginia Military Institute, where Stonewall Jackson was a teacher, Cyrus McCormick's farm, where he developed the reaper, Charlottesville and Culpeper which were huge centers of Civil War activity. Charlottesville was where I was born, and Culpeper is where I first lived. This pic was taken in just after the WV/VA border.
This was sunrise, the first morning of the dig. This is Fair Oaks farm, near Jeffersonton Virginia. It was established in 1838, and was the site of a decent sized artillery battle.
As soon as the car stopped the first morning, I headed off towards the woods, not to be seen by my digging group until quitting time that night. I found nothing but iron square nails for hours, before somebody took me aside, and fixed my detector. I had it set for Kentucky soil, not the heavy ironized soil of Virginia. I thanked him, and immediately got a signal, which turned out to be a piece to an iron spur.
I walked about the hills, and woods for about five hours finding nothing but nails. I decided to walk to the far corner of the map, where A.P. Hill had his rebel headquarters. I walked for what seemed to be an hour, and then I found myself on the outskirts of Jeffersonton. I consulted my map, and concluded that I was at least 500 yards out of the boundary. I never saw the orange boundary flags. I walked past them while detecting. I got back in the lines of our dig, and fought my way through a jungle of briars until I found myself on a large hill, in a field.
There was a small house near the hill, so I detected there for about half an hour. I found about ten horseshoe half's, and five whole ones. I think a stable was nearby.
The tree's in Virginia grow pretty big, evidence to the fact that Virginia is a historic state. This tree was a little bigger than a sapling when rebel and yankee troops visited this house during the war.
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