(submitted photo)
Tim Nickels was doing some landscaping on Saturday at his home in Oakfield when he came across a historical find in his yard.
After checking with a Facebook site, several people seem to think it is a 19th century shotgun.
“I found it while spring cleaning outside. I was digging for topsoil to fill holes and level the yard,” says Nickels.
Nickels called police and they said he could keep it.
He says he has lived in his home for about 5 years and it was built in 1873.
“Right now it’s in the electrolysis stage so I can hopefully get some serial numbers off of it.”
According to a local historian, Cindy Amrhein, who checked with someone knowledgeable with antique guns, it looks like part of an over-under shotgun/double barrel shotgun.
Nickels is hoping to be able to identify it and possibly link it to some local history. Amrhein seems to the think the barrel could be buried nearby.