1700 cemetery hunt?

[bootey_hunter]

i have a very old cemetery literally walking distance from my house.. est. 1780. i highly doubt any1 visits it on a frequent basis and it is a bit out of view from the nearby road.. my question is besides the obvious moral/ethical aspects.. would this site be a good place to detect? im not saying on top of graves but in the other areas... i know its a cemetery but i just cant help but wonder what might be in the ground in such an old site...

 

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[Keppy]

There's a lifetime of goodies to dig in the woods. Just do a little research. The finds are there.

Absolutely. The majority of the time, folks that are interested in MDing cemeteries are the same folks that never seem to be able to come up with a decent spot. If they did, they wouldn't be so interested in cemeteries in spite of the legal and public relations risks!

Best Wishes,


Buckleboy

well i hunt cemetries to find markers and well my freind is then fixing the markers .......... I hunt the cemetery. I hunt a lot of cemetries for he is also a grave digger and at times digs up bodys on court order............................................. Like i said i never really found any thing worth well in a cemetry...........So don't waste you time in them................ But you guys like to set your self's up on a pedestal and look down your nose at others................BUT HOW MANY OF YOU CIVIL WAR HUNTERS HUNTERS GOT A SIGNAL DUG AND FOUND A BODY THERE THEN TOOK WHAT YOU WANTED FROM THE BODY AND NEVER TOLD ANY ONE ...... GOOD QUESTION ......... ANY ANSWERS......

 

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[BuckleBoy]

But you guys like to set your self's up on a pedestal and look down your nose at others................BUT HOW MANY OF YOU CIVIL WAR HUNTERS HUNTERS GOT A SIGNAL DUG AND FOUND A BODY THERE THEN TOOK WHAT YOU WANTED FROM THE BODY AND NEVER TOLD ANY ONE ...... GOOD QUESTION ......... ANY ANSWERS......

This is called "Shifting the Blame." I'm sorry that something we said made you uncomfortable, Keppy--but this is not about CW hunters. It is about hunting in cemeteries.

I don't know of any CW hunters that have ever looted a body in a battlefield. In fact, I only know of ONE person who has even found a soldier's remains on a battlefield, and he called the proper authorities and the remains were moved and given full military honors at their reburial.

You see, most battlefields are STATE PROPERTY, not private land.

Do YOU know of a CW hunter that has looted a soldier's body, or are you just making this up? Have YOU done this?



Why not get this thread back on track, eh?



-Buck

 

[Iron Patch]

But you guys like to set your self's up on a pedestal and look down your nose at others................BUT HOW MANY OF YOU CIVIL WAR HUNTERS HUNTERS GOT A SIGNAL DUG AND FOUND A BODY THERE THEN TOOK WHAT YOU WANTED FROM THE BODY AND NEVER TOLD ANY ONE ...... GOOD QUESTION ......... ANY ANSWERS......

This is called "Shifting the Blame." I'm sorry that something we said made you uncomfortable, Keppy--but this is not about CW hunters. It is about hunting in cemeteries.

I don't know of any CW hunters that have ever looted a body in a battlefield. In fact, I only know of ONE person who has even found a soldier's remains on a battlefield, and he called the proper authorities and the remains were moved and given full military honors at their reburial.

You see, most battlefields are STATE PROPERTY, not private land.

Do YOU know of a CW hunter that has looted a soldier's body, or are you just making this up? Have YOU done this?



Why not get this thread back on track, eh?



-Buck

I only know of one guy here ever coming across what he thought was the bone of a body. It was just a random signal in a field he was chasing, and close to an old home site. This was on his property and he never thought for a second about digging more to see what was there. In fact he was seriously spooked and felt bad at what had happened, and didn't even tell me for quite a while. Statements like that sure don't help this hobby! And I'll tell you why... because several years back the archies started with some BS here and that's exactly how they tried to make it seem to the public, that we were grave robbing. They actually said it too! To make a long story short once the people who really counted in making the decision got a sense of the truth it was over. We won.

 

[Woodland Detectors]

I witnessed a GW Inaugural campaign button dug on the fringes of an old Cemetery.

I personally have dug many late 1600 to present artifacts NEAR old cemetery's ....

 

[Iron Patch]

I witnessed a GW Inaugural campaign button dug on the fringes of an old Cemetery.

I personally have dug many late 1600 to present artifacts NEAR old cemetery's ....

That's probably because the houses were close. There's a small grave site about 150 feet from one of my best sites. It's pretty weird to know a good part of the family of the house I'm hunting is buried in the next field over. Made my early masonic ring find that much more interesting. (knowing who owned it)

 

[lafatlife]

LENNON, please post the law that states that particular felony. And, I have seen family members planting plants and shrubs at graves and they don't get in trouble either. What is the difference there?

People keep thinking that you are going to be using a back hoe to dig your finds and then oops, there's a coffin, I better put that back.

Please!!!

You know, I do not think it is appropriate to dig over the graves just as it shows respect, or used to anyway, to not walk on the graves.

If you dig on the roads or at a sitting area what is the difference between those pieces of ground and the same roads or sitting areas in a park?

In my town they dug up the whole cemetery and built a town hall in it's place and they moved the people to the new cemetery. Cities and towns do that all the time (unfortunately).

 

[bigscoop]

I guess I would have to consider the obvious opinion of the general public and any state or local officials who might happen to see, "a guy with a metal detector in a grave yard". It could only do further damage to the perception of the hobby and our deteriorating image within the public and the law making eyes. Personally, I'd never put that to risk for the sake of a few old coins and such. It's just a high potential avenue to more bad press, and that we certainly don't need.

 

[Shambler]

I'd only not do it because I don't want a confrontation with some jackass - that's the ONLY reason.

There's also every reason to believe there would be finds around cemeteries - I've heard stories about jewelry finding its way into a wrapped handkerchief and stuck in a pocket, only to be lost when the hanky is pulled out at the wake. Don't get on your high-horse on this one - almost all lost jewelry has a story.

 

[Keppy]

I'd only not do it because I don't want a confrontation with some jackass - that's the ONLY reason.

There's also every reason to believe there would be finds around cemeteries - I've heard stories about jewelry finding its way into a wrapped handkerchief and stuck in a pocket, only to be lost when the hanky is pulled out at the wake. Don't get on your high-horse on this one - almost all lost jewelry has a story.

Shambler /.... I am with you on this some of these guys on here are afraid to sneeze and you hear about these laws from them that i never heard of. And are afraid to hunt were you are allowed...........What they should do is stay home lock there doors were they think they are safe........ Or better yet go to a grave yard and bury there self ...................They are a scared of every thing..............

 

[Mark S.]

In the early 80's I recall a husband and wife in the club I was in at the time were driving by an old cemetry in a rural area. They noticed a raised area right next to the cemetery. They found the property owner and got permission. The finds were stunning. They ranged from the early 1800's thru to the very late 1800's. Handfuls (not an exageration) of coins. I remember seeing several rows (in 2x2 pages) of bust and seated halves. All denominations were found in both Bust and Seated coins. The dates of the coins pretty much corresponded with the dates on the gravestones.

The only explanation was as stated earlier in this thread. It was probably a picnic area for people visiting the cemetery. They said it would have been the perfect picnic spot.

 

[NHBandit]

I guess it comes down to whay YOUR particular morals are and how YOU were raised. Some of you just leave me shaking my head.. Personally I don't do it out of respect for the dead AND out of respect to any living members of their family. As far as it being illegal I suppose it depends on the laws in your area. For one thing since most cemetary plots have to be bought and come with a deed, they are not public property so doing anything there other than paying your respects to the dead without permission could be considered trespassing. Here's a thought... Call the local PD and ask if it's ok to dig holes in the cemetary and get back to us on what the answer is... The parking areas near the cemetary, etc. are another subject alltogether and should be fine to detect with permission of the caretaker. lafatlife it's nice to see a familiar face here.

 

[jeff of pa]

Call the local PD and ask if it's ok to dig holes in the cemetary and get back to us on what the answer is...

Lol

Ask your Closest best Neighbor Is it alright to dig holes in his Lawn.
Call your Parents & Ask if you can drop over & dig
holes in their Lawn
Of course it's Not

Never ask anyone if it's ok to dig holes on their Property

You ask if it's "ok to run your detector through"
or "OK To metal detect".

today most lots are Personal & family Owned lots
a Cemetery can be owned by Hundreds of people.

Some older Cemeterys are Church owned
And the congrigation got free Buriel.

Older yet. they flipped a coin I think on where.

 

[lafatlife]

You guys are forgetting the fact that this is an old cemetery, it is not currently in use. If I am wrong then I stand corrected.

NHBandit, right back at ya!

 

[jeff of pa]

You guys are forgetting the fact that this is an old cemetery, it is not currently in use. If I am wrong then I stand corrected.

NHBandit, right back at ya!

It is still a Cemetery & Beliefs aside,
Most State Historians Know just who to
contact to make your Life Miserable.

Just saying.

 

[stefen]

You guys are forgetting the fact that this is an old cemetery, it is not currently in use. If I am wrong then I stand corrected.

NHBandit, right back at ya!

If its not currently not in use, maybe all of the buried corpses should leave...

 

[artzstuff1]

I found a 1829 curled base capped bust dime in a cemetery, not over a grave but at the edge of a stone 7-8 inches deep,

so there is some coins in the bone yards !!! oh and buy the way,, I sold the dime for 2500.00 to a man in dallas tx.


I took a picture but it got erased sorry

arthur

 

[artzstuff1]

Trample the injured and Hurtle the dead!!!!!,,,,,pilage & plunder!!!


GET'ER DONE!!!

 

[ppratt]

Get permission and hit all hard. There dead they wont care.

 

[kai_gold]

I wouldn't hunt a cemetery. Grave robbing isn't cool, even if you have a phd and work for a university.

 

[Hosensack]

In my area some of the old cemeteries once housed meeting houses on the same property.

Expanding on Jeffs "Limo" parking comment, in the pre 1800 meeting house/cemetery sites there will often be a large rectangle slab of stone, that would be where the "limo" parking was