Civil War Horseshoe?

[paulmarcone]

I know this is a little off topic, but I need some help... Yesterday my nine year old son detected an old horse shoe using his metal detector in our back yard. It was buried about 10 to 14 inches along the back of the house next to an old structure. Attached are pics of the horseshoe and structure.

I live in Chantilly, Virginia. Our house was built in 1998 -- prior to that our neighborhood was a working farm that dated back to the early 19th century. Our house is right next to Walney Road which was a Civil War era road that was widely traversed by cavalry on both sides as well as Mosby's Raiders.

Is there any way to tell how old this horse shoe is and whether or not it is Civil War era?

Thanks.

[Southron Sr.]

Back in the 18thy and 19th Centuries horse shoes were hand forged by blacksmiths. By the time of the Civil War there were companies that supplied machine made horse shoes to the Yankee Army.

So, take a very close look and try to determine if your horse shoe is hand forged or machine made. That might give you a clue to its origins.

[RaiderANV]

It looks like ones I've dug in camps but can't ever be sure looking at them. I couldn't prove one way or the other if my were even related to the war or just another shoe lost here and there from working farms.

[Eggman]

Yeah PJ I found an old railroad spike just outside the "angle" at the Murfreesboro battlefield, but dating it is problematic. Now my Revolutionary War ax is another story. I have thorough documentation for it. Even though the head has been changed six times and the handle changed eleven times, it clearly dates back to the Revolutionary War.

[John Holland]

Ahhhh....Shades of Turner Kirkland!

[John Maas]

Having had several horses shod, and a collection of used horseshoes, I appears to me that your shoe actually may be a muleshoe. Still, no real good way to date it by itself.Big John, McGregors

[RaiderANV]

Yeah PJ I found an old railroad spike just outside the "angle" at the Murfreesboro battlefield, but dating it is problematic. Now my Revolutionary War ax is another story. I have thorough documentation for it. Even though the head has been changed six times and the handle changed eleven times, it clearly dates back to the Revolutionary War.

Just advertise it as an ORIGINAL descendent of the original ax!! Sum dang ol' yankee will fall fer it! <grin>

[tony 1st regt]

due to its shape it looks more horse to me than a mule shoe. Size would be comparable to a "0" or a "1" in todays sizes without getting out a ruler and measuring up from the penny. With all of it encrusted, be pretty hard to tell forged or keg shoe (store bought machine made) If you can determine where the nail holes are, the spacing side to side would give you a hint, if they are uniform, most likely machine made. My guess from the pic is that it is a machine made shoe and I base that from the uniform shape of the heels. On closer examination I might change my opinion.


Former member AFA