5 acre lot, former orange grove

[blackrose]

I have spend a total of about 5-6 hours in the last two days searching a property that was at one point an orange grove, 5 acres across. There is still the old- style house and garage standing. It's since been a squatters place, with graffiti everywhere. A few years ago the city knocked down most of the orange trees and left the buildings standing and about 6 orange trees standing, in the corner of the lot. The rest is empty, but when they knocked down all that stuff they left it all behind, so there is about a foot of top soil / debris laying on top of the majority of the lot. Even though the ground is soft there, it makes it near impossible to find anything since everything i'd be looking for would be underneath that layer of top soil. I noticed that there was a notice from the city saying that the prop owner had til about 2 weeks from now to 'clear up the trash and debris' otherwise they would be 'fined additional amount' if the city has to do the clean up for them.

Does the city just waltz on into abandoned properties and get to work, in that case?

I'm thinking this would actually be a good thing. They could clear out the trash-laden top soil and I could get to work proper afterwards.

The thing is, I have found jack-all since I started. Nothing good at all. The house was used over 100 years ago, up til about 2006, and the family operated the orchard for 75 years. Despite this I haven't found anything. How long do you persist at a site before you give up?

I'll attach some pics of the stuff I have found, mostly just Misc metal objects.

It doesnt help that I've been getting interference from the surrounding telephone polls when I get closer to the structure.

Other than what is pictured, I also found 3 rusted cans underneath some of the orange trees, buried about 8 inches deep. No doubt some workers had lunch there long ago. The cans looked old school.

It's also damn hot out here. I basically keep at it til I feel I'm about to pass out from the heat...

 

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[Mzjavert]

Let me first say, you have a great machine.

Unfortunately unless you are looking for large, derp artifacts, you would need a machine with a 15" coil. Being able to lower sensitive near the power lines would help tremendously. But your detector, as you know, does not have that capability.

I seriously doubt that the city will clean up the site at day 15. Still I would check it once a week. Until then, more onto a more productive site.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

..... The house was used over 100 years ago, up til about 2006, and the family operated the orchard for 75 years. Despite this I haven't found anything. How long do you persist at a site before you give up? .....

I hate to be a kill-joy (although I'm good at it), but: Old farms are not necessarily any good. Where I live, there are 100 yr. old farms up and down the highway for 100 miles each direction. And I don't doubt that I'd knock myself silly for a wheatie or buffalo at anyone of them.

Urban in-town yards are much less punishing, and here's why: Farms are more industrial and commercial in purpose. Think: tractors parked on the lawn, trash-burn barrel pit (before the era of curb-side trash-pick-ups). People tossing out the kitchen scraps/garbage for the chickens and pigs to peck at. Mechanized agriculture equipment roaming too and fro, etc.... Contrast to urban inner-city yards, where people tended to keep nice-tidy lawns for non industrial non-commercial purposes.

So "old farms" are not necessarily any good. Unless they doubled as some sort of community function (picnicking, community recreation ? etc....) Or doubled as a stage stop or saloon or store or something where people would gather. But otherwise, I don't hunt "just any old farm".

And as for "orange orchard" Same psychology: The history of the USA is just too new to go hunting "random row crops or orchards". Sure: a field worker *might* have lost a wheatie or merc. 70 yrs. ago. But for the time-spent, you are MUCH better off going to places where people have gathered with the express purpose of recreating, spending coins, camping, frolicking, sleeping, drinking, etc..... To just randomly go to sparsely stepped on work zones is not a good-ratio spot. Not to mention junk ratios.

 

[blackrose]

Tom, its funny you say that because I had almost the exact same thought today when out there sweeping, that being "there probably wasn't much of interest happening here anyway".

Now I understand the need for a wider coil; and pinpointing...I haven't ever needed a PP with my tesoro since the coil is only 5.5 inches wide, normally I just crouch down, grab the end of my detector, and use it as a pinpointer once I start digging.

 

[blackrose]

What's really mind boggling is that I didn't even really find clad at this site. Literally the only coin I found was a friggin SHIELD PENNY.

a SHIELD PENNY..at a hundred year old site..


That's like a slap in the face!

 

[boogeyman]

I agree on the not getting too excited part. After searching numerous groves south of Tom with not much for the effort the only parts that gave up goodies were around the edges & in one, a small area which I later found out was the place all the teens took Sally to do the horizontal hustle. Around the buildings is probably the only good spots. Remember, the groves saw little traffic. The only traffic being disking the weeds, picking, and the owner checking for freeze or other tree condition. Look for short cut paths if any. Hit the buildings hard! Do a complete building search before they start doing the demo. Then just futz around the grove for giggles. Just my experience, Hit the buildings hard.

 

[blackrose]

^ I did. Checked under the clothes line, ect. Problem is lots of interference from power lines around the house / garage / barn area.

 

[boogeyman]

^ I did. Checked under the clothes line, ect. Problem is lots of interference from power lines around the house / garage / barn area.

I'm talking about searching the buildings themselves, walls, floors, ceilings, built in cabinets etc. If you're getting interference & it's not from high tension lines, look for where they are coming in from the pole & throw the switch or breakers. You mentioned squatters that might be why, free electricity. As with searching ANY place where tweekers & junkies hang out, Good leather gloves are a must! A good headlamp even in daylight will help you spot needles & other nasties. Building searches are my favorite! You can walk out of a field or yard totally skunked & find the motherload inside buildings! Oh, if the lines from the pole are still hot, call the local power company & report it, you might save someones life. Tell them you think there's a theft of services at an abandoned house & I'll bet they'll send a troubleman out in a heartbeat! Try this and let us know how you did!