Coins & Relics – Historic Links
Published by Larry on Tagged Recent Finds, Relic Finds, Research
Last Fall I wrote an article entitled The Story A Coin could Tell. Though fictitious, the four coins could tell real stories. The 1861 Indian Head Cent found under the tree where two Confederate escapees from Fort Brook in Tampa were hung, is at least a 99% accurate happening. I am not sure who lost the penny but it had to be one of those soldiers. There is a vital historic link between the hanging and that coin.
How did a 1926 Macy’s Department Store one-cent weighing scale end up in the “maze” of Tarpon Springs, FL. The “maze” was a 20-30 acre wilderness area where many dirt bikers and other off-the-road enthusiasts would venture. No homes or buildings were ever on this property. I would metal detect that area looking for arrow heads and Indian relics, and one day had the surprise of finding that scale. For several years I tried to find an answer to how and why it was buried/dumped in this maze. Maybe, just maybe, if Al Capone was here he could answer my inquiry. The nearest building of significance was the Anclote Psychiatric Hospital. In the Roaring Twenties, that hospital was a resort hotel where Al was a frequent visitor and believed by locals to be the owner. Research could not prove Capone’s ownership or that the scale was a part of the hotel, but speaking to a 94 year old former employee, I found that the hotel had a large scale in the lobby that guest would drop a penny in and weigh themselves. That could be a historic link.
I found an Orage Belt Railroad lock and every time I look at it, I am drawn to the suicide death of pioneer builder and developer Hamilton Disston. It has a real historic link for me with the history of Tarpon Springs, FL. The event that hastened the development of Tarpon Springs, as well as the southern half of Florida, was the Disston land purchase of 1881. Hamilton, a wealthy saw manufacturer from Philadelphia, shrewly obtained 4,000,000 acres of state land at $.25 per acre from the Florida Internal Improvement Fund. The fund had been set up in 1855 to administer state lands that were available for public purchase. The fund became mired in debt after the Civil War and by state statute, no land could be sold until the debt was cleared. Mr. Disston became the largest land owner in America and according to all known records the largest land purchase ever made by an individual. He began to develop Tarpon Springs and tried to use his persuasion and financial clout to bring the Orange Belt Railroad headquarters to his newly establihed Disston City. The Russian engineer and developer of the Orange Belt railroad, decided to take the rail center to St. Petersburg, a city named after his homeland city. Disston was devastated as he needed that link for the growth of his city and other local area investments.The panic of 1893, two severe freezes and the passing of the Wilson-Gorman Tariff Act set him back financially. Hamilton returned to Philadelphia after mortaging his Forida assets for $2 million. On May 1, 1896 he was found dead in his bathtub with a self-inflicted gunshot to the head. That Orange Belt lock and other relics from the railway station in Tarpon Springs remind me of the historic link to the death of one great man in the development of Tarpon Springs and southern Florida too. I am writing this article at my desk on 207 S. Disston Avenue. I have so much more to say about links to history from metal detector finds, but that is another story. Here’s to “diggin it”! Larry
August 21st, 2008 at 5:20 pm
I have a couple of coins (?) I would like to research but so far have only found dead ends. I will get you some pictures of them. Also, I will try to bring them the next time I’m down. Anyway, they are Missouri Income Tax Coins or Vouchers. ( I can’t remember the exact wording but I do know they are for Income Tax.) Any help would be greatly appreciated.
August 21st, 2008 at 6:44 pm
By leaving a comment on any post, qualifies you for that month’s coin drawing. Hope you win!
Larry