a property owner gave me permission to search the old "plank road" on his property. Theres probably about 1/8 of a mile of it at least. Historically I did find reference to plank roads in that area of the county. Do the roads ever appear as what would look like a shallow, canal? Perhaps about 15 -20feet accross with pretty straight cut sides, maybe 2-3 feet high? The owner claims the recessed appearance is from the weight of the wagons, the oxen, etc. Or is this perhaps because there used to be wood there and now since thats gone it looks deeper than the surrounds. I did see the "stone" bridge that carried the road over a creek in the deep woods , that indeed looked quite old with like a buttress raised arch of stone in the center, I will post a pic of that shortly to see if it is architecturally correct for the time period. If the road is authentic, do I work the whole thing, the sides, or up above in the woods on the sides? It appears slightly moist in the center as if a creek is taking hold.Did they use a lot of iron nails or where the planks just kind of laid down, or anchored in some way? The owners house is like 1780's, there are enormous trees and tree remnants in the woods (some of the biggest Ive ever seen out east here), Thanks for any input you can give me, CO
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?'s on Plank Roads
- Thread starter osgood
- Start date
MNCoinhunter
Active member
You would most certainly find nails in the middle section..but personally I would sweep the whole thing. Such a unique opportunity would force me to hit it from all angles..good luck.The simple answer is yes to all your questions. Here are some CW photos showing plank and non-plank roads. They do have steep sides because of wear but also because they were set at a low grade so as not to tax animals. I doubt if many nails were used in CW roads. Close examination of the pictures show the planks were covered with mud and soil. The width largely depends on the height of local trees.
Pay particular attention to curves. This is where things (including shoes) get dropped or stuck in mud because the distance between the planks widen.
Hope this helps and widens the discussion.
Dave Poche
Pay particular attention to curves. This is where things (including shoes) get dropped or stuck in mud because the distance between the planks widen.
Hope this helps and widens the discussion.
Dave Poche
Dave and McDave, thanks much for the input. That pic on the right really looks similar to the run in the woods. it pretty much steers me again towards this being an authentic plank road. As I was getting aquinted with the neighbors aggressive dogs I didnt get a chance to climb down in there to check for timbers etc. I will next trip, and am going to work on it for sure. thanks again. CO