It started with a camping chair. Actually, it all started with our October birthdays.
I recently saw Tony eye a director’s chair and decided to buy him one for his birthday. Since we were going on a trip, I gave it to him a few days before his actual birthday. He really really liked it.
Well, that was a bad decision since someone stole our chairs from the campsite when we were out sightseeing. Tony got to use this fantastic chair for two whole days!
Since that gift failed, I decided to get him a replacement present — one that won’t take up so much room in our van and will not be left outside to dry after a rainy night. I got him a metal detecting pinpointer since he seemed to like our recent metal detecting adventures on Lake Huron beaches.
We recently finished binge watching The Detectorists and thoroughly enjoyed it. The pin-pointer seemed to capture the hostages’ interest and they expressed interest in metal detecting. Since they are not allowed to venture too far from the property, the backyard, at just over 5 acres was a good place to detect.
Anyway, off they went metal detecting in the general direction of the paddocks and sure enough were getting one hit after the other.
What will they find?
First they uncovered a metal file,
then a ring pull, and some nails.
Exciting stuff, right?
They moved to a different area hoping for some different results. Sure enough there was a loud and clear beep. We started uncovering it and it seemed much deeper than the others. We kept on digging and finally, there was something poking out of the ground.
What is it? A railway spike? It was a bit rounded like a knob. It didn’t budge so we kept on digging.
Oh, this looks like a door! Is this a Hatch? THE hatch?
But this part looks like a leg…
After careful troweling we were able to uncover the top of this object.
It’s definitely a stove!
It was late and the hostages were tired. We’ll continue tomorrow.
Bright and early the next morning we went out to uncover the rest of the stove.
We brushed off the door.
Will it have a manufacturer Stamp?
It did! Looks like it’s a Gurney stove!
For comparison, you can see below a similar stamping on the door of a Gurney stove that dates to the 1930s
You may wonder why is there a stove is in our backyard. Well, since we uncovered some tin cans, bottles, and broken glasses that can be dated to the 1950s, it looks like the original owners used this area as a midden, which is a fancy word for a garbage dump. We know that the house was built in the 1950s which is consistent with the date of some of these objects.
Although we freed the stove of its earthy cage, we were not able to salvage it in one piece, so we retrieved the door and base,
and buried the stove again for the next adventurous owner to find.
This was a good opportunity for Tony to get his beloved tractor out and practice his earth moving skills.
Good job!
On other news, we have a golden canopy and the days are getting shorter.
We are now bracing for winter.
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Great treasure chase. I wonder how many times this oven will be unearthed before it makes its way to a museum of yesteryear’s rural life.
Unfortunately no Ontario rural museum with take something like this…
I bet you never thought it was going to be a stove!
Funny fact, when I saw the knob peek out of the ground I said it’s a stove! Although I didn’t think it will be a complete one…
Holy Moly! What else is buried out there? I love the picture of you in that hole with a trowel. Action!😉
I think that there is an entire car nearby. We found parts of it a few years ago 🙂
What a story. I love your dedication to digging out that stove. Glad you’re getting a lot of use out of your metal detector. I still can’t get over that someone stole your chairs from your campsite. That’s horrible!
Thanks! It really sucked! 2 chairs, a bag of wood, an axe, and a dishpan. Who does something like this?
the metal detecting sounds like a fun activity – and what a cool object to discover!
Sorry to hear about the chair being stolen…
Thanks, Jim! We were disappointed about the theft but will continue to have fun 🙂
that’s good to hear!
Love this story, very fun. But in case you don’t know, your postings are difficult to read because of all of the ads, some of which are right in the middle of your narrative (and some of which are gross!).
Thanks for letting me know! I have the auto setting on minimum ads…I think I need to learn how to do this manually…
What a great find. I would have dug the whole thing up and cleaned it and shone it and polished it and shown it off with pride.
That was our intention, but unfortunately the main structure had the strength of tin foil so there was no salvaging possible. All we could do is get a few pieces out. I’ll ship them over to you for cleaning and polishing 🙂
I would not wish to deny use the opportunity to enjoy it for yourself
🙂
PS. I don’t get any ads on your posts. It just flows so easily, like honey down a sore throat.
Great! I had them on the minimum setting, but it was still too much…
I have a good friend who’s hobby is metal detecting. That treasure hunting mentality is part of his makeup because he also works in a pawn shop. I looked back to see if we were following each other’s blogs when I wrote about a metal detecting adventure. We weren’t, and I hope you enjoy this one. https://petespringerauthor.wordpress.com/2019/11/10/a-blessing-in-the-middle-of-a-crisis/
One of the parts of your treasure hunting adventure that I enjoyed the most was Tony getting to use his “beloved tractor.” We boys like our big toys. 🤣 He was probably like me and played with those kinds of things as a boy. Oh boy! Your post just triggered a funny memory about my son. I think I’m going to write about that for my next post. That is another benefit of blogging. Stay tuned!
I just went over and read your wonderful metal detecting tale. Thanks for sharing the link! Tony sure loves his big toys. Glad this was an inspiration and I will keep an eye out for your next post!
Love the Detectorists.
It’s a really good show!