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Fossil Hunting In Colonial Williamsburg, Va


Froze Toez

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We had to go to Williamsburg yesterday and decided to kill some time. So we looked at the stream at the visitor's center. The stream is right by the road. Lots of shells. That's Streamwalker (my hubby) doing what his name implies.

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Then we went across the roads to a feeder stream that meets the bigger one. This one is where bones/teeth wash in. Take a look through the bush to see the one I had to leave there.

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I didn't get if for several reasons. The stream is in a grey zone of CW land, private land, and NPS land. I can't outrun law enforcement and I don't want jail time. But if you look at that bone you can see that it has been washed down the creek from somewhere else. If we can get into the neighborhood that the stream is coming from and where the bone bed is located we could do some fantastic collecting. Until then consider this an inspiration piece that shows what is in our area. Oh the possibilities!

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I didn't get if for several reasons. The stream is in a grey zone of CW land, private land, and NPS land. I can't outrun law enforcement and I don't want jail time. But if you look at that bone you can see that it has been washed down the creek from somewhere else. If we can get into the neighborhood that the stream is coming from and where the bone bed is located we could do some fantastic collecting. Until then consider this an inspiration piece that shows what is in our area. Oh the possibilities!

Ahh... That is what I figured. Too bad. No doubt that creek is full of goodies. Good on you for controlling your impulses.

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I would have been looking at a map to follow that creek to a point where it leaves the state land. At least here in NC waterways are fair game assuming not on federal or state property or something.

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According to the James City County parcel map at http://property.jccegov.com/parcelviewer/Search.aspx , the area is entirely within the city of Williamsburg.

A parcel map for Williamsburg itself gives more info:

http://williamsburg.timmons.com/

Portions may still be under the NPS, which surely are no-go zones.

Good luck.

Edited by Missourian

Context is critical.

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I am drooling over the pecten's in that stream! Hope you are able to get into the neighborhood nearby and check it out. Thanks for sharing!

Process of identification "mistakes create wisdom".

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The real concern is that Colonial Parkway rangers or Colonial Williamsburg security may mistake fossil hunters like us for artifact collectors. Many years ago I found a shilling from 1745 in one such stream, but that was not on these properties. There is however many more such streams that run through the Williamsburg area. Getting to some requires roughing it through thick woods and underbrush. If the weather ever clears up, we plan to explore New Quarter Park a bit more.

Some of these streams contain not only shells, but remains of prehistoric land mammals as well.

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We had to go to Williamsburg yesterday and decided to kill some time. So we looked at the stream at the visitor's center. The stream is right by the road. Lots of shells. That's Streamwalker (my hubby) doing what his name implies.

More than often getting my feet wet :)

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  • 2 years later...

I went to the stream at the end of April and found massive amounts of scallop and other shells, but no sharks teeth or fossilized bones. Some of the shells were the size of my hand and very heavy. Just not sure if there was any mineralization to them. I love traversing small steams whether I find anything or not. I did not locate the feeder stream. But I will venture there again when I am at Langley AF base in this Summer.

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  • 2 years later...

I walked this stream for 45 minutes last weekend, and saw tons of big Chesapecten jeffersonius fragments (a few whole ones), barnacles, a turitella, other shell fragments, and a horse tooth.

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  • 5 months later...

What location is it? Address of easy access point? What roads? Is it still flooded? Does anyone know? I want to go with my boyfriend, but it's the location I don't know.

:trilo:  RiseOfTheExtinct  :ammonite01:

Quote

"There's no shame in being weird. I'm have the obsession of mollusks. You're the one who always forgets your coffee. We're all weird in our own ways.

Don't forget that, weirdo whose even weirder than me..."

5 minutes later... Said by someone else...

"Hey, weirdo, you forgot your coffee on your desk..."

 

 

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