Lake Accotink Park Museum

Here is an excerpt from the "Historical Lake Accotink Park" blog written by historian Mary Lipsey for the Friends of Lake Accotink Park (FLAP):

These artifacts were displayed at the Lake Accotink Park Office and Visitors Center in 2016.

Contents: 1862 Inscribed Brick, ​Union Civil War Buttons, Brick From Ravensworth Plantation, Railroad Car Coupling Pin, Sword Scabbard Chape - Civil War, Native American Tools - Turtle Shell, ​Native American Tools - Bones, ​Native American Tools - Scrapper, ​Pick Ax Head, ​Agricultural Fence Post, ​Ravensworth Cemetery Fence, Wooden Stool Found On Ravensworth Property, Pintle, Sword Scabbard Chape - Civil War, Pot Shard, Stirrup, Native American Projectile Points, Grape Shot, Minie Balls, Percussion Caps, Telegraph Insulators, and Railroad Spikes

1862 Inscribed Brick
Description and Dimensions: Brick with “1862” carved into it Another mark appears under “1862,” possibly an oval. 8 by 4.5 by 3 inches. Inscription is 1.5 inches in height. Reddish in color.
Source: Railroad culvert
Notes: Appears hand made
Condition of Item: Not all of the corners are squared, has mortar remnants on it, one corner is chipped

Union Civil War Buttons
Description and Dimensions: Union Civil War Jacket buttons, metal, each button has an eagle shield on them,
.75 inch in diameter.
Source: Found at an encampment
Notes: Machine made, One button dented in the middle
Condition of Item: Rusty and oxidized ​

Brick From Ravensworth Plantation
Description: Ravensworth Plantation Silo brick
Dimension: Brick is 12 by 9.5 by 4 inches, reddish brown with speckles and glazed
Notes: One side is open ended with three squares, appears to be machine made, estimated weight 15 lbs, silo may have stored corn.
Condition of Item: One corner is chipped

Railroad Car Coupling Pin
Description and Dimensions: Railroad car coupling pin. Metal, total length 13 inches, straight part 10 inches, bulb and collar 3 inches.
Notes: Used to connect two railroad cars, bent toward the middle, label should say 20th century not 19th century, heavy estimated weight 5-7 lbs
Condition of Item: Rusty, corroded

Sword Scabbard Chape - Civil War
Description: Sword Chape
Dimensions: Dark gray, 3.5 by 1.5 by .5 inches
Notes: A metal tip that is fixed at the tip of a sword scabbard to prevent the sword from breaking through the end of the leather scabbard. A scabbard is a leather cover for a sword.
Condition of Item: Appears to be bent a little

Native American Tools - Turtle Shell
Description and Dimensions: Turtle shell used by Native Americans, ( 2 pieces that fit together ), both pieces are curved and very thin, pattern on outside of shell with a “bowtie” pattern at the neck, spine is visible in the inside, white and brown in color
large piece 5.5 by 4 inches, smaller piece 2.5 by 2.5 inches.
Notes: To be used as bowl or dipper, possibly a box turtle shell
Condition of Item: Very fragile.

Native American Tools - Bones
Item No. 25
Description and Dimensions: Native American tool, bone material, has the shape of arm or leg animal bone, white and brown in color, 7 inches in length and 1 inch wide, one end flattened, relatively smooth with a groove.
Notes: Could have been used to mash or ground, not believed to be a human bone.
Condition of Item: Good

Native American Tools - Scrapper
Item No. 26
Description and Dimensions: Native American projectile used as scraper, materials quartz and quartzite, triangular in shape - 3 inches on each side.
Notes: Used as tool to clean animal hides.
Condition of Item: Good

Pick Ax Head
Description and Dimensions: Pick ax, metal a tool used for digging, one end of the ax is missing, 7.5 inches in length, oval collar 2 by 2.75 inches and depth of collar is 2.70 inches, estimated weight 3-5 lbs.
Source: Found along the railroad tracks
Notes: Missing the oval wooden handle which would have attached inside the collar, appears to have wood material inside the collar, a pick ax has one sharp end and one blunt end, a pick has two sharp ends.
Condition of Item: Rusty

Agricultural Fence Post
Description and Dimensions: Fence Post 46.5 inches (h) by 5.5 inches (w) 3 inches (depth)
Source: Lake Accotink Park property
Notes: Three large holes and one smaller at top
Condition of Item: Worn grayish brown in color, wood type unknown

Ravensworth Cemetery Fence
Description and Dimensions: Metal fence from a cemetery on Port Royal Road in Springfield, 36.5 inches( h) 20 inches ( w), 15 posts with sharp points, 2.5 inches between each post, fence fittings at the bottom of each post.
Source: Donated by John Hawthorne who rescued it before developers covered over the cemetery. Mrs. Lee had shown Mr. Hawthorne the fenced in slave cemetery.
Notes: The post fittings are of an unusual shape.
Condition of Item: The fence is rusted and bent in places

Wooden Stool Found On Ravensworth Property
​Description and Dimensions: Small wooden stool, 17 inches ( h), seat 11.5 inches in diameter, 8 connecting dowels to the legs, seat is in three pieces with several man made holes.
Source: Found on a trash pile on Ravensworth property
Notes: Possibly a milking or child’s stool.
Condition of Item: Original color might be cream, dark green paint is flaking and peeling, seat is not painted.

Pintle
Description and Dimensions: Pintle, metal, 5 inches by 2.5 by 1.5 inches
Notes: Hinge used on gates, shutters or doors
Condition of Item: Rusted but in good condition

Pot Shard
Description and Dimensions Three Ceramic pottery shards 20th Century, smaller 2 inches by 2 by 0.5, medium 3 by 2 by 1, largest 5 by 2.5 by 0.5, medium and largest shard have curvature.
Notes: Creamy white in color and shiny glaze - some brown discoloration
Condition of Item: Fragments not believed to be from same pot.

Stirrup
Description and Dimensions: Small stirrup, metal possibly wrought iron, appears to be hand made, 3.5 by 2 by 2.5 inches. A stirrup is a loop at the end of saddle where the horse rider rests his foot.
Notes: Observers note that it appears to be too small in size to be used by an adult
Condition of Item: Rusted and broken in places

Native American Projectile Points
Description and Dimensions: Native American Projectile point and four flakes,
projectile point 1.5 inches by .75 by.25, flakes are 0.5 inches by 0.5 inches
Notes: Flakes may be remnants of tool making. The point and one flake appear to be quartz
Condition of Item: Good condition - Identifying numbers on their reverse sides

Grape Shot
Description and Dimensions : Grape Shot, 1.5 inches in diameter, made of metal, possibly iron or lead, heavy, possibly hand made - not perfectly round
Notes: Several of these would be tied together in a canvas bag and shot from a cannon. When tied together, it would look like a bunch of grapes
Condition of Item: Rusty but good condition

Minie Balls
Description and Dimensions: Minie balls ( 5) rifle bullets, varying sizes and colors generally .75 inches – one inch in length, one is embedded in wood, three appear to have hit something, one is undamaged
Source Mr. Wallace Allison
Notes: 3 are white, 2 are gray, four appear to have been discharged by a weapon
Condition of Items: Good

Percussion Caps
Description and Dimensions: Percussion Caps ( 9), Metal .25 inches in diameter
small cylinder traditionally made of copper or brass, one end is opened
Notes: In the weapon, the trigger hammer strikes the cap which ignites the explosive primer.
Condition of Item: Good

Telegraph Insulators
Description and Dimensions Telegraph Insulator fragments ( 2)
green glass, larger fragment 4.25 by 3.25 by 2.5 inches with “A” on top,
smaller fragment 3.25 by 3 by 1.75 inches with “B” under the groove
used to attach telegraph wires to poles.
Notes Harloe Insulator Company
Hawley, PA (c.1902-1906?)
Elmer, NJ (Mar 1903-Oct 1903)
This company made two unusual “no-tie” style insulators— the CD 109.5 and CD 206.5 styles. Harloe’s embossed marking is a logo consisting of the letters “H I Co” intertwined, above the words “Hawley, PA. U.S.A.”. Because of the embossing, Harloe insulators are often called “Hawleys” by collectors, although the actual company name was never “Hawley”. Ending date of insulator production at Harloe is uncertain but evidently in the 1905-1906 period. Harloe operated the Elmer, NJ “lower works” for a short while after the Sterling Glass Company ended its operation there. ( [McDougald-1990: Bob Harding; Ray Klingensmith]
http://www.glassbottlemarks.com/glass-insulator-manufacturers/
Condition of Item fragments appear to be from two different type of insulators

Railroad Spikes
Description and Dimensions: Railroad spikes ( 2), made of iron, large nail with offset head used to secure rails, larger spike 6.5 by 0.5 inches, smaller spike 5.5 by 0.5 inches.
Notes: Larger spike appears to be machine made and not ever used, smaller spike appears hand made.
Condition of Item: Both are rusty, smaller spike is bent