Civil War site advice needed please....

[Detectorist143]

Ok folks,

I am going to be kinda vague here. So please understand as i am sure you will.

I have just found info on a civil war camp kinda near me, Vague part.
"I should say I drive an hour to work one way every day so Kinda near for me is well!"
I love to drive....

The property is PRIVATELY OWNED and the owners are going to rebuild and open a museum.
The property is also a STATE HISTORIC LAND MARK....... "So that may kill the whole thing."

I want to approach and ask for permission to detect the grounds. How should I go about that?
I am not a door knocker type of guy.....

Of course I want them to keep the finds, That's is a must....

But any other advice that could help me make a good impression and get me on the grounds swinging would be greatly appreciated.

I am typically a lone hunter and i do not have a lot of knowledge of civil war relics. Other than what our Youtuber friends have shown us.

Should I go in person or send a volunteer sheet in? How do i approach a business/museum ?

I can read the land and have even found a few pics. So i think i might be able to place alot of the tents in the images "good landmarks in them".

I have never dug civil war relics so this is really a tempting site to go after.

Thanks in advance to all the great door knockers and experienced hunters out there. Please any and all info is welcomed.

 

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[Bama Billy]

Don’t want to be negative here but expecting to keep finds where a museum is going doesn’t sound very realistic to me, especially if it’s civil war related. IMHO putting finds in a museum might be better than keeping them. Having them where folks can see them and be educated by them is far better than sitting in a box at my house. Now, if it’s a non civil war related museum then I’d give it a shot. I have a site here that’s similar but the owner will let you keep finds IF he already has one in his museum.
Disclaimer: I’m not much of a door knocker or super experienced

 

[Detectorist143]

As I said

Of course I want them to keep the finds, That's is a must....

I do not want or expect to keep anything. Just a pic of it works for me.
If my name was listed or not as the finder or what ever.
I' d be happy with that.

I just want to swing and dig the older CW stuff.

 

[Tommybuckets]

I think your best bet is to go knock and talk before you work it up in your mind as the end all be all site. If you can find a plan B and plan C nearby or an adjacent property that's the move too. Maybe a nearby stream or pond where they would go for water. The few Civil war sites I have found that they let me search have already been hit hard because they are cool about it. Others they "have never" and will never let anyone detect.
My tricks are simple and straight forward. I often dress in my medical scrubs. I feel like it lets people know I have a job and a life etc. and this is just a hobby. I also let them know as much. I'm Tom, I work at the hospital, my grandma lives down the street. Your house was built in ___ but before that,... (anything short of rambling to draw them in to the story and personalize the experience)
So dress decently. Not a suit but not your dirty torn detecting clothes. When talking to farmers I DO wear my torn dirty clothes so they don't think I am a dandy. Basically be relate-able.
I also try and discover the name(s) of the property owner(s), when structures were built, any history on the family or property, anything to show you are not just a door to door detectorist lol. Of course if I see an opportunity for a "cold call" (see an older looking house with people outside near the road I can talk to) I go in fast and blind.
Leave the equipment in the car. Make good eye contact, ask for your person. If they are not available I explain to whomever I get on hand that I am a ______(Civil War) enthusiast and metal detectorist and that I would like to scan the property for any artifacts etc. They'll either lean in or shut you down at this point so I take a breath and let them tell me what they know. I.E. "We already have a guy, my son wants to,.. no thanks, I don't let anyone dig on my yard or sounds interesting " . In the first minute you can tell which way they are leaning. If you get a half decent yes stop talking, thank them and grab your gear before they start wondering if they should ask their spouse or grandma in the retirement home etc. I ave talked myself in and out of permissions by talking too much lol.
Occasionally you get one on the fence and I try to sweeten the deal at that point if need be. I say " oh we'll definitely get you something unique and interesting to put on the mantel". If it seems appropriate or they say they want to detect it themselves, I bring an extra machine and pinpointer and offer to teach them or their kid (10yrs and up) . Its a pain in the butt but if it puts me on the site I have been willing to do it in the past. If they suspect there is something valuable on the property or say they lost something I say "well lets start there." or, "Where do you think you lost it?"
Sometimes its just a key to a door or piece of equipment but it could be the key to getting you swinging. At that point I also may offer to show them the finds. When and if they ask if I've ever found anything valuable I usually say, "well to most people its junk but to me each artifact is a little treasure trove of the local history." Maybe I'll show a camera phone picture of a button or minnie ball or the real thing if I have one handy. I don't mention gold, silver, jewelry, coins unless they explicitly ask.
I think the hardest part is timing. You want to catch them when they are in a good mood, not in a rush and yet not so settled in that you are disturbing them. If I can, I go Friday at 4-6pm (after work), Saturday at 9-10 am (up but not out) or Sunday at 1:30 or later (after Church).
I have a property I have been to 3 times that is an hour away and still haven't caught anyone there. There's a $1200 engagement ring in the yard and the old owner drew me a map right where his wife lost it and told me I could have it since they are divorced. I could have just gone for it and I sat in the empty driveway debating it but I'll keep driving by and looking until I get the timing right.
Also you may want to do a warm up or two to get the jitters out of your approach. Practice by pitching cold to a friend or neighbor or pick a house nearby with a crappy yard or with someone working in the yard. That way it'll come easier when you get to the real deal.
Reading this I have thought way too long and hard about this topic lol. I look forward to reading anyone elses approach and there are hundreds of older posts on here dealing with getting permissions. Most of my material is straight from others on here and I tailor it to work for me. I dread asking permission but its better than hitting the same old unproductive park around the corner. Also remember other than your pride and any artifacts on the site, you don't have much to lose through asking. Best of luck let us know how it goes. And quit wondering. Just go for it!

 

[Tommybuckets]

Oh and I never leave a note with my info and number unless its in someones hands who can pass on the spiel. This just blows your chance to catch them before they've thought too much about it.

 

[Bama Billy]

I apologize, I misread your original post. I thought it read “of course I want to keep..”. In that case they have nothing to loose but here’s only one way to find out. Good luck and let us know how it goes.

 

[Honest Samuel]

Best of luck to you.

 

[Paleo_joe]

Since it is a museum, I’d commit to documenting the location of every find along with any other context

 

[Hillbilly Prince]

In my experience of any type of interaction,I have found good manners and being polite will take you far.
Thanks for the info you posted.

 

[TerryC]

Dress neat but not flashy or "fake". Be polite. Tell them up front what you would like to do. DO NOT make claims you will find anything or they will expect you did. If you tell them you will turn over all, they may follow you like a puppy dog to make sure you do. Go with the idea you will get a NO. That makes rejection easier to take. And last, you will never know unless you ask. It's like playing the lottery.... nobody really thinks they will win but some do! Good luck. ╦╦Ç

 

[Honest Samuel]

What is the lately news? We want to know.

 

[Detectorist143]

Sorry all been to busy here to do much detecting.
I will post why later. But I'm back now!
I have an appointment tomorrow to talk to the property owner.
Wish me luck.....

 

[Detectorist143]

Hey diggers,
Sorry for the long wait on this post update.
I will be going to the site within the next week or so.
I plan on meeting with the property managers and get hopfully get permission. The problem is it is a group of Private investor's. So I plan on making the case of growing their museum.

The property will be closing for tours this month.
I will be there with gear on hand and try to get some adjoining property permissions.
I'll keep you posted.

 

[CASPER-2]

I have a business card that says I assist in historical and or archeological discovery
and that I assist police and fire depts. and - lost item recovery -
on back I have
THIS IS A FREE SERVICE
it helps that I have donated to other historical societies and put items on loan at other museums
I don't take rewards for returns or any other help I give and can get references from some of these
people if needed to show I'm not trying to hit their property to make money
I do want pics though of items I find and credit for those finds if possible
tell them you will work with someone - it can help if you have an extra machine for someone
involved with the site to hunt with you
good luck