Z.K.
Bronze Member
Well, the Fall is spectacular in my neck of the woods right now. A bit past peak foliage, but still stunning. We've had a light frost and some of the brush has fallen, allowing more access to forested sites. Some research led me to an old road with about 5 homesites that were on the maps in the mid 1850s. All of this is now abandoned, on private land which I secured a permission to access through a happy coincidence.
The first intact stone foundation is about 3/4 of a mile into the forest. It had a lot of trash around it (from 70s beer cans to barrel hoops) but I did manage to find the pocket watch housing, thimble, and coin purse frame there. That latter one was a heart stopper! (please let me get two coin purses in one season. pleeeeeze!!) Ah, but my pleas were in vain...just a big bolt underneath it, left almost as some cruel joke.
It was clear that nobody had ever detected here, so I just rambled about, too excited, moving away from the high trash areas and exploring a small orchard and plateau that was clearly a pasture perhaps as recently as 75 years ago. At the edge of that was a ridge, and suddenly I knew I was probably in a spot where an even older dwelling was. I pulled a beautiful flat button out, then a second. Five minutes later, my first Matron Head Cent! Two more buttons in the next 20 minutes, with nothing else but a few nail signals, all within a circle about 60 feet across.
I had an appointment to keep, but I wanted to scout at least one other home site, and found it another 1/2 mile up the road, on an incredible rise. A barn foundation, home foundation, dense apple orchard, and some very old oak trees were all visible and easily accessed. I only found the belt buckle and a lot of 1800s trash in a quick 15 minute hunt.
Even if I didn't have my detector with me, this was one of the finest fall hikes I've ever taken. The light playing through the remaining leaves, the absolute stillness, and walking along a an old roadway to find these amazing dwellings...wow. Can't wait until next weekend to head back!
Cheers, HH, thanks for reading
The first intact stone foundation is about 3/4 of a mile into the forest. It had a lot of trash around it (from 70s beer cans to barrel hoops) but I did manage to find the pocket watch housing, thimble, and coin purse frame there. That latter one was a heart stopper! (please let me get two coin purses in one season. pleeeeeze!!) Ah, but my pleas were in vain...just a big bolt underneath it, left almost as some cruel joke.
It was clear that nobody had ever detected here, so I just rambled about, too excited, moving away from the high trash areas and exploring a small orchard and plateau that was clearly a pasture perhaps as recently as 75 years ago. At the edge of that was a ridge, and suddenly I knew I was probably in a spot where an even older dwelling was. I pulled a beautiful flat button out, then a second. Five minutes later, my first Matron Head Cent! Two more buttons in the next 20 minutes, with nothing else but a few nail signals, all within a circle about 60 feet across.
I had an appointment to keep, but I wanted to scout at least one other home site, and found it another 1/2 mile up the road, on an incredible rise. A barn foundation, home foundation, dense apple orchard, and some very old oak trees were all visible and easily accessed. I only found the belt buckle and a lot of 1800s trash in a quick 15 minute hunt.
Even if I didn't have my detector with me, this was one of the finest fall hikes I've ever taken. The light playing through the remaining leaves, the absolute stillness, and walking along a an old roadway to find these amazing dwellings...wow. Can't wait until next weekend to head back!
Cheers, HH, thanks for reading
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Love that LC. Even if you do not dig much you are rewarded with all that natural beauty.
