Identifying Historical Artifacts, White Mountains – If you are picking up trash in the New Hampshire White Mountains during the current human impact issue, please educate yourself about historical artifacts and the laws that protect them. I now know of two instances where do-gooders picking up trash removed artifacts, thinking they were trash, from the White Mountain National Forest.

Many of the metal objects (horseshoes, metal strapping, railroad spikes, stoves, tins, etc.), glass bottles, trestle remains, and numerous other objects along the White Mountains trail system are protected artifacts. These artifacts should be left where you found them; they help tell the story of the early settlers, farming communities, and logging railroads that once were in the White Mountains. The included photos show some of the various artifacts you could come across while out hiking.

The most common artifacts found along the trails in areas where a railroad was are railroad spikes and railroad ties. Some of these old railroad spikes and ties are over one hundred years old. And in some places of the White Mountains, where the railroad ties have rotted away, one railroad spike in the middle of the forest can help identify a railroad right-of-way.

Old Can dumps are scattered throughout the White Mountains. These dumps can help identify where dwellings were in the forest. Nature is slowly covering up these can dumps, and because of this, many historic dwelling sites in the mountains are forever lost.

Barrel rings can be found throughout the White Mountains. And much like can dumps, they can help identify the location of an abandoned farm, dwelling, or logging camp in the middle of the forest. Barrel rings are nothing more than metal straps. Trees are known to grow up through them.

Flat steel tires from old wooden wagon wheels are another circular object often confused for trash. The one seen above in Benton may date back to the mid-1800s. Like barrel rings, trees can grow up through them.

Sled runners are another artifact that is often mistaken for trash. These artifacts can be found pretty much throughout the White Mountains. They look like long metal straps, and vary in appearance.

The artifact above put on display by hikers along the abandoned Gordon Pond Railroad (1907-1916) is possibly a “rave”, which is part of a logging sleigh. Logging sleighs were an important part of early logging in the White Mountains.

Not all, but many of the old bowls, cooking utensils, dishes, and pans along the trails are also artifacts. These types of artifacts can help identify the location of buildings at historical sites. Plus leaving them where they are found makes it easier for historians to determine the layout of the site.

Before a hiker volunteers to pick up trash in any given area of the White Mountains, they should research the history of that area. Doing this will give the hiker an idea of what types of artifacts they may encounter. That half-buried glass bottle may be over one hundred years old, and if a hiker mistakes it for trash and removes it from the forest, the history of that area is forever lost.

Do-gooders usually have good intentions and mean well, but when unsupervised, they can do more harm than good. So hopefully, some of the above photos of artifacts will help you distinguish the historical artifacts from the hiker trash. And if you know of any hikers removing artifacts, intentionally or unintentionally, from the forest report them to Forest Service. View more photos of artifacts here.

Happy image making..

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Erin Paul Donovan

Owner of ScenicNH Photography LLC

Erin Paul is a professional photographer, writer, and author who specializes in environmental conservation and historic preservation photography mainly in the New Hampshire White Mountains. His work is published worldwide, and publication credits include: Appalachian Mountain Club, Appalachian Trail Conservancy, Backpacker Magazine, and The Wilderness Society.