Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of the Treasure Beaches Report.
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| Photo Showing Erosion From Nicole (Nov. 10, 2022) Source: Indian River Shores Site (Feb. 22, 2024 Town Hall Meeeting) |
The records of the Feb. 22, 2024, Indian River Shores town council meeting show discussion of a future beach reconstruction project once again, but the project will not begin until after Oct. 2024, which is when turtle nesting season will be over. Permitting will also require a survey of the historic or archaeological sites within the area. There are three archaeological sites in the area of concern. You are probably familiar with a couple of those.
The council discussed the damage done by Nicole, which hit on Nov. 10 of 2022. You might remember that. The web site includes a number of beach photos from 2022 and 2023 documenting the erosion and damage.
Above is one of the many photos from the Indian River Shores web site.
And here is one of the posts documenting finds made on the Treasure Coast after Nicole.
Thanks to DJ alerting me to that.Without knowing where you were digging and what war was going on I think my guess would be the same. I did as much research as I could this morning in a few minutes but maybe this might be a path worth studying more.
I say they are from Epaulettes worn by high commanding soldiers. It’s hard to confirm but by the way an epaulette is worn and made I say they could be sewn into the crescent part of the epaulette to give it the support to hang tassels or metals. And I believe I read that different sizes meant different ranks.
From Wiki:
Epaulettes are fastened to the shoulder by a shoulder strap or passenten, a small strap parallel to the shoulder seam, and the button near the collar, or by laces on the underside of the epaulette passing through holes in the shoulder of the coat. Colloquially, any should straps with marks are also called epaulettes. The placement of the epaulette, its color and the length and diameter of its bullion fringe are used to signify the wearer's rank. At the join of the fringe and the shoulder piece is often a metal piece in the form of a crescent. Although originally worn in the field, epaulettes are now normally limited to dress or ceremonial military uniforms.
Or maybe even used copper as ornamental metal:
In the 1800s, copper epaulettes were crafted with care, serving as ornamental shoulder pieces worn by military officers and other dignitaries. Let’s delve into how these distinctive accessories were made:
- Materials:
- Copper: The base material for epaulettes was often copper. Its malleability allowed artisans to shape and embellish it.
- Fabric: For enlisted men, cloth epaulettes in various colors were common. However, officers typically wore metal epaulettes made from copper, silver, or gold.
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| Epaulettes Source: Wikipedia. |
Thanks Mark!
It seemed to me that from the other items found in the area the mystery item could have been lost during a battle. I found broken musket parts, pieces of various things, musket balls and grape shot scattered over a steep hill just below a cannon emplacement. I also found a variety of military buttons at the site two of which were easy to identify. One of those was a British 54th Regiment of Foot and the other was a 76th Regiment of Foot. So I was able to research the history of both of those regiments, which you would think would reveal when the regiment was at the location where the buttons were found. Strangely I could not trace either of those regiments to the site, although one, the 54th, which, by the way also fought in North America during the revolutionary war, was about sixty miles away from the site where they were found at one point.
The 54th regiment went to North America in 1776, fighting and fought in the War of Indepence (1775-83). The regiment returned home in 1781. During the French Revolutionary Wars (1793-1802), served in Guernsey (1793), Flanders (1794) and the West Indies (1795).
Although the mystery item could have been lost much earlier, my best guess would be maybe 1795 or 1796. Although I have not found record of the 54th Regiment of Foot being at the specific site. According to my research, that is when it would have been closest to the area where the button was found.
In short, I have been unable to put either the 54th or 76th at the site where the buttons were found, so my attempt to narrow down the time when the buttons were lost has failed.
Back to the mystery item, I hope you are improved, as am I, by the research.
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I looked at some videos on mudlarking. The thing that surprised me most is seeing the exact items I've found on the Treasure Coast being found in London and various other areas. The Treasure Coast doesn't have the many old items you can find in London, but there is some overlap.
And then I am surprised seeing some of the people finding some things I don't even pick up anymore and making a big deal over them.
Some of them do find some good items that I haven't found and would love to find, especially those in London. They have some great old bottles and things and even Roman period items.
I rather watch mudlarking than metal detecting videos. I really can't wait for guys to check their signals and IDS for ten minutes before deciding to dig, and then after that, taking another ten minutes to pinpoint.
I want to thank those of you who make contributions to the blog. It helps not only me, but also the blog's many readers.
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| Surf Chart From SurfGuru.com. |
Good hunting,
Treasureguide@comcast.net