That black-and-white photograph was a personal possession of, W. D. Ross, the man who owned and built Rosslyn almost exactly two centuries ago. And it was somewhat miraculously excavated from our yard by a remarkable man who good fortune brought into our path almost a decade ago.
Remember Scott Brayden?
It’s no exaggeration to claim Scott [Brayden] as one of the MVP sleuths of Rosslyn and Essex area history. In addition to an extraordinary gift for disinterring artifacts with his metal detector, smarts, and soothing patience, Scott has also mined digital archives with remarkable luck. (Source: Favored by Fortune: Sherwood Inn Flashback)
Yes, that Scott Brayden. True to his reputation, on July 15, 2017 Scott discovered a personal accessory belonging to our home’s namesake (and in no small measure one of the founding fathers of our village.) And while I didn’t manage to transform his unlikely find into a public post at the time (no doubt entertaining family, sailing, waterskiing, or all three…) this historic bridge is now yours to enjoy. So I’d like to wrap up this August workweek with the backstory for this remarkable W. D. Ross artifact. And consistent with presenting artifacts as testaments on their own, I’m going to include my communications with Scott before and after this momentous relic was revealed.
W. D. Ross Artifact Backstory
Cue the flashback machine. Hit rewind. Stop. Here’s the adventure as it unfolded.
From: Scott Brayden
Date: July 14, 2017, at 3:58 PMMind if I stop by to look around sometime this weekend? I have a feeling the rain we’ve been getting will be helpful in bringing out some good signals. I don’t want to get in the way if you have company over or anything like that. Let me know, thanks!
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From: Geo Davis
Date: July 14, 2017 9:15 PMThumbs up. Not sure if I’ll be there when you arrive or not… Good luck!
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From: Scott Brayden
Date: July 15, 2017, at 1:15 PMI just found something in the side yard that you will likely find extremely interesting. Let me know when you are back in town, I’d love to show it to you.
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From: Geo Davis
Date: July 15, 2017 1:57 PMWhat is it? You’ve piqued my interest…
We’re in Shelburne now, and I anticipate that we’ll get back to Essex in about two hours. How long are you around?
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From: Scott Brayden
Date: July 15, 2017, at 2:18 PMI’m around til tomorrow. I can swing by later in the afternoon if you have time. I honestly don’t know what it is exactly, but it is tied to the history of your house, and I think you’ll really like it. Shoot me an email or feel free to call when you are back
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From: Geo Davis
Date: July 15, 2017 4:48 PMJust got home. Would love to see what you found.
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From: Scott Brayden
Date: July 15, 2017 at 5:04 PMI’ll be over shortly
W. D. Ross Artifact Reveal
Here are the initial snapshots of the W. D. Ross artifact that Scott Brayden located with his metal detector and carefully unearthed.
W. D. Ross Artifact Reflection
My followup communication with Scott is also interesting, so I include it here (with limited redactions).
From: Geo Davis
Date: July 17, 2017It was a pleasure to catch up with you. I’m over the moon about the engraved “shield” you unearthed. What a find!
I’m going to start working on a blog post, and I’d love to include your impression. What do you think it is? Why? Etc.
It strikes me as a good opportunity to include the fact that you’ve searched the same area in the past and found nothing. It seems useful to remind readers that conditions change (i.e. moisture in soil after extensive rain); technology advances (i.e. better metal detectors); and serendipity/luck is fickle and unpredictable. Basically, these are all things that you talked about with me, but I’d love to have you describe in your own words. Perhaps this will inspire other neighbors to reach out to you.
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From: Scott Brayden
Date: JulyJuly 17, 2017It was great seeing and talking with you again, too. As I mentioned I was also quite excited about that find. I have never found anything that can be directly attributed to a person who lived (let alone built) the house I was hunting.
Although I’m still not sure exactly what the artifact is, I believe it is related to one of the following:
1. Belt buckle. As we discussed, it’s possible, but I find this to be unlikely because of the fact that it has the town name on it. Seeing how it says Essex on it, I think it’s more probable that it was attached to something that could be traced back to Mr. Ross should it get lost.
2. Identifying plate off a trunk or other luggage. This seems feasible especially considering he was a merchant. He likely had a lot of goods that had to be stored and/or shipped somewhere. Even if it’s not business-related it could be an identification plate for his everyday luggage should it ever get lost in transit. I found a few examples of engraved plates for luggage, but they were not as large as this one and were typically small, rectangular, and thin.
3. When I posted this on a metal detecting forum, someone suggested it could be what’s called a bridal rosette. These were decorative objects attached to a horse’s bridle. I have found these before, but from my experience they were typically decorative rather than informative. It seems possible that this might have been attached to horse tack in order to identify it’s owner should it get lost. The ones I’ve seen ( and found) were typically circular, not oval-shaped. The fact that the one I found is heavy-duty and probably was filled with lead at some point indicates it might have had more of a utilitarian purpose that could stand up to everyday use.
4. Someone also suggested that it could have been from the male version of a pocketbook/purse that were common in those times. I did some searching and it seems possible but I haven’t found any examples of personalized ones such as the one I found.
5. My last thought is that it could have been from a cartridge pouch, which were small leather bags used to carry ammunition. I attached an example of one from the Civil War. Again, this is just speculation. I have never seen or found one that has been personalized. But the lead-filled construction is a perfect match to those on the civil war pouches seen here.
I will continue searching for a positive identification. The fact that William D Ross had money leads me to believe that he was able to have things made, such as this plate, that the majority of the general population did not have. That’s probably why there are so few examples of similar artifacts online, and why I’m having such a hard time identifying it.
As to why I was able to find this, among other things in an area I’ve definitely walked over before….
First, the metal detector technology I’m using now is a lot better than what I have previously used at your house. I find things deeper than I did with other machines, and as I indicated, the separation and ability to easily pick out desirable sounding targets within a sea of iron is much easier with this machine. At old houses such as yours there is iron everywhere. With older machines, if there was a nail in the same hole or immediately adjacent to the desirable target it would “disguise” the good sound and there would be a higher likelihood of me skipping over the object.
Related, familiarity with one’s metal detector plays a huge role in the success of finding desirable targets. I realized I had in fact used that same machine at the end of last summer at your house and I’m pretty sure I covered that area. However, at that point, I had only used the machine a few times and was still relatively inexperienced with understanding what exactly it was “telling” me every time it beeped. Since then, I have had ample opportunities to hunt historic properties and gain a better understanding of this particular metal detector. People just assume that if I swing over something, I hear a beep, dig the hole, and find an old coin or artifact. That’s not always the case. Of course a coin 2 inches down in a grassy lawn with no surrounding iron will sound beautiful in my ears – I would have absolutely no hesitation in digging it. But if you scan over that same coin, and lets say it’s on edge, with a nail in the same hole, and 9 inches below the surface, it will sound much different. So different to the point that I may choose not to attempt extracting it. So, in short, a large degree of interpretation is required in understanding the sounds your metal detector is making. Having about a year to hunt with different programs, different settings, and under different ground conditions has allowed me to gain a deep understanding for what my machine is trying to tell me every time it sounds off.
Weather and soil conditions also could have played a role. The fact that it had just rained could have helped the sound of this particular artifact “pop” more than it otherwise would have under drier conditions. I believe it has to do with the fact that water causes the ground to have a higher conductivity, thus allowing you to hear signals more clearly, especially those that are deep. Unrelated, I love detecting after a hard rain because it makes digging much easier and lessens the chance I destroy anyone’s lawn.
The thawing and unthawing of the ground during winter months also can affect the ability to find a target. As the ground freezes and unfreezes it shifts things around to the point where they may move closer to the surface one year and further away other years.
In general, I think a lot of it comes down to the fact that I may have just missed it in the past. If you think about it I’m sweeping a relatively small coil over a large tract of land looking for small objects. I try to overlap my swings as best as possible but sometimes all it takes is my swing being just an inch or two too far in one direction and I’ve missed the target. Who knows… maybe last time I walked over that area I was frustrated I hadn’t found anything, or tired, and therefore sloppy… I could have simply walked over it without actually passing my coil over it. That’s why I always go back numerous times to places I’ve hunted before, with the hopes that being a bit slower and more methodical can help me find things I’ve previously missed.
And that, my friends, is a wrap. For now. There’s a reason I’ve resurfaced this drafted but unfinished post from in my blog “orphans” bins. But that for another time…
What do you think?