Thursday, June 26, 2008

Gathering Rocks.

It seems that every area that we clean out from the yard we find old bricks, chunks of concrete, and rocks. Since the lawn mower does not fair too well when it runs over these masonry scraps, I have been picking them up and lining flowerbeds and the vege garden with them.

Last week on one of my hacking kudzu, rock gathering rounds. I reached down and saw what appeared to be just another ol' chunk of concrete.

Then I turned it over.





To my surprise.....it wasn't just another ol' chunk of ordinary concrete.
It was an ol' extraordinary chunk of concrete.



"How pretty!"

"How did it get here?"

"Where did it come from?"

"Has it always lived here?"
or did someone else think, "How pretty" and take it home.


The first layer of paint is an aged coppery green. And the second layer is black. But, actually it appears that the black may have been applied over the green originally and rubbed off to accent the detail. It is about the size of my hand.

Currently I have two theories running through my head.



#1.
This stuff came from this....


Downtown fire in 1931. I may look around for detail images of these buildings.
(images via..vanishing georgia.)

or...


#2.
At one time something else was built on the property.



The fire hose thingy that we found a couple of months ago and all the bricks from a brick factory that did not open until after the house was built make me think theory #1. The concrete slab located under the 'Possum Tree in the backyard leads me to theory #2. The other bricks which appear to be older and made from a different less stable clay, this find, and what I would call "foundation stones" could go either way.

One would think that older maps would be available with information on the property. But no, all of these maps stop at what is today about 10 houses down.

Thoughts?

6 comments:

Jennifer said...

How interesting! It's a giant puzzle... waitig to be put together.

Marie Louise said...

How cool! I love old houses and history. Your bungalow looks wonderful. I have recently moved but lived in an 1855 colonial for many years and used to find all kinds of pieces of potter and porcelain in my gardens. Almost like a former housewife was throwing plates at her husband!

Anonymous said...

I think you may have a mystery in your own back yard. Maybe you'll find soming really cool, and then someday you can be on If These Walls Could Talk

Anonymous said...

Looks like an ornamental flower pot
made from concrete.

Jen said...

Jennifer- Yes a puzzle, isn't it great!
Marie-Louise- Thanks for visiting and commenting. I bet there were cool finds from a 1855 house. We have found pottery too.
Laur- Love that show!!
Anonymous- Good suggestion if the scale of the detail was smaller.
It would have to be a HUGE square planter for this to be a part of a flower pot. I did not show the back of the piece, but it has a grove in the middle bottom and top where this was definately attached to something and this was just part of the overall ornamention of the structure.

London Calling said...

Hmm..interesting. Great find.