One false step, and you'll find yourself hopefully clinging to a clump of Mountain Laurel on the hillside. This does look directly into the Conemaugh Gap. There are some nearby rock piles along with some walls a short distance from here.
We have only seen three other examples similar to the one you found. The one in your photos uses what appears to be a mortar with a high sand content. We have seen this on buildings dating to the circa 1900-1955 period. This foundation is anywheres from 60 to 110 years old. Maybe a bit older but unlikely. At such a high elevation, only realistic possibility is some sort of camp whether hunting, logging, back-to-earth person, etc. Whatever it was, it was worth the effort to transport the tools and materials to mix mortar up to the top of this ridgeline.
Is it an outhouse? Until one these types of foundations get excavated by an archaeologist, we can't be sure. There are several other types of farm buildings small enough for such foundation like smoke houses and water pump housing but there is no reasonable possibility as why they would be found at this elevation. Another possibility is was related to fire tower or old communcations tower but I don't see any evidence of this type of activity in the area.
No comments:
Post a Comment