Right now, we (The Diggers) are working in Mystic, Connecticut where we expect to find evidence of the English and Native troops camp the evening before the fateful morning attack, what we now know as the Battle of Mystic Fort in May 1637.

However, the metallic evidence on the landscape stretches hundreds of years, not just a single night.

People have lived, worked, hiked, quarried, farmed, camped, walked dogs and hunted in the Mystic area for centuries. Trust us, we find the evidence! From bullets, shotgun shell casings, a ladies’ 19th century make-up compact, children’s toys or nails, the objects found with our trusty metal detectors tell stories – beyond Captain John Mason and the troops of the Pequot War.

It is rare that we know what to expect when we dig up an artifact. Our metal detectors can tell us approximately how deep the object is, and what type of metal it is – but it is up to our knowledge to understand what the object is. The majority of the time, the object is identifiable – a fence nail, a bullet, etc.

However, there are times when we simply can’t explain the artifact – and that is precisely when the excitement begins. And the questions and research begins: What could it be? Could it be part of a soldier’s matchlock musket? Could it be scrap lead from molding a musket ball? Could it be a piece of iron armor?

Maybe you might know.

What is this iron object?