First 2023 target: Conestoga bell

[rhedden]

This morning was the first time I got out digging in 2023. I went to a mountaintop to find a cellar hole that I was unable to locate last summer. While searching the bank of the creek, I got a strong, repeatable 70-72 signal on my Simplex, but it seemed like one of those targets that's larger and deeper than the detector indicates. After several tree roots, a handful of rocks, and come cussin,' I popped out the Conestoga bell about 7 to 8 inches down. Wow - it was really deep for hard, rocky ground out in the woods. I wonder what kind of metal it is, as I scraped the bottom edge with the shovel just a bit, and it's shiny white inside. Pewter?

After some additional searching, I located the cellar hole, which was the earlier, above-ground mound type sometimes found in the northeast. I found six buttons between the cellar and the creek, which suggests the site hasn't been hit much, if at all. There were some clamshells strewn about, which was a pretty strange sight so high up in the mountains and far from the ocean. There were no dug iron objects or broken glass laid out on the foundation stones, which convinced me that I located a virgin site that hasn't been hit. It's been a long time coming; there aren't many left. My legs barely made it back to the car, but it looks like I have a productive site to hunt for a while.

 

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[mindcrime1988]

Some good diggings there. Congrats.

 

[Blackfoot58]

Congrats! Keep us posted as you progress at this site.

 

[Lenrac2]

Looks like a great site! I can't wait to see what else you may find! Love the bell!

 

[scruggs]

Nice bell and site your working on! Good luck on your return trips!

 

[E-Trac-Ohio]

Well done !

 

[Gare]

Nice job NICE FIND A person gets a warm feeling when they find a place they have been looking for for quite a while

 

[rhedden]

I forgot to mention one of the cool features of this site. In a four-hour hunt, I did not dig a single bullet or shotgun shell. After hunting hundreds of cellar holes over the years, I'm a bit stunned by the lack of "gun junk" on the site. Besides a few beer cans and a recently discarded umbrella that I found on the way in there, I did not find any modern trash, either. A little research suggests the house still stood in 1858, but it was abandoned by 1876. It should be a good testing ground for hunting older/deeper material. A few of the buttons were marginal targets I would have skipped at a site that has bullets in the ground.

 

[Trezurehunter]

Nice looking Conestoga bell.

 

[Steve in PA]

This morning was the first time I got out digging in 2023. I went to a mountaintop to find a cellar hole that I was unable to locate last summer. While searching the bank of the creek, I got a strong, repeatable 70-72 signal on my Simplex, but it seemed like one of those targets that's larger and deeper than the detector indicates. After several tree roots, a handful of rocks, and come cussin,' I popped out the Conestoga bell about 7 to 8 inches down. Wow - it was really deep for hard, rocky ground out in the woods. I wonder what kind of metal it is, as I scraped the bottom edge with the shovel just a bit, and it's shiny white inside. Pewter?

Nice looking bell. I don't think anyone would make a bell out of pewter. It just wouldn't ring. It may be made out of Bell Metal.

Bell metal - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[oldmxrat]

Congrats on your bell and finding a good spot to dig!

 

[rhedden]

Nice looking bell. I don't think anyone would make a bell out of pewter. It just wouldn't ring. It may be made out of Bell Metal.

Bell metal - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Bell Metal is something new to me. Thanks for posting that information. I suppose that high tin content could result in a white appearance where it got a small scrape.

 

[Digger RJ]

This morning was the first time I got out digging in 2023. I went to a mountaintop to find a cellar hole that I was unable to locate last summer. While searching the bank of the creek, I got a strong, repeatable 70-72 signal on my Simplex, but it seemed like one of those targets that's larger and deeper than the detector indicates. After several tree roots, a handful of rocks, and come cussin,' I popped out the Conestoga bell about 7 to 8 inches down. Wow - it was really deep for hard, rocky ground out in the woods. I wonder what kind of metal it is, as I scraped the bottom edge with the shovel just a bit, and it's shiny white inside. Pewter?

After some additional searching, I located the cellar hole, which was the earlier, above-ground mound type sometimes found in the northeast. I found six buttons between the cellar and the creek, which suggests the site hasn't been hit much, if at all. There were some clamshells strewn about, which was a pretty strange sight so high up in the mountains and far from the ocean. There were no dug iron objects or broken glass laid out on the foundation stones, which convinced me that I located a virgin site that hasn't been hit. It's been a long time coming; there aren't many left. My legs barely made it back to the car, but it looks like I have a productive site to hunt for a while.

Nice!!! Congrats!!!

 

[rhedden]

I thought I'd update this thread rather than starting a new one. I hit this site again on Saturday for about 6 hours, with another handful of finds - but the story of the day wasn't about finds. About 3 hours into the hunt, I saw motion between the trees in the distance. It was a 400 lb.+ black bear with two cubs right behind her, running full speed and getting closer. Not a small bear at all. I almost wet the bed. I remembered the advice to make a loud noise, but before I even came up with a plan, my foot got tangled around a dead tree branch, and I made an enormous crashing sound. Looked up and saw "bear butts" running away over the mountain in 5th gear. 😵

I think I might want to invest in some bear spray. Anyway, moving on to the finds, we have five new flat buttons, none with clear markings, and none military. What a bummer; 11 buttons total, and not one of them is identifiable (to me anyway). An old thimble popped out at 5 inches, and the buckle fragment was a full, wholesome 8 inches down under rocks and tree roots.

I suspect most of these finds date from 1800-1850, but the site refused to give up a single coin or clearly marked button in 10 hrs. or so of searching. The ground is so free of trash that I don't feel like I missed a large cent of KG unless they're beyond 8 inches deep. It may be time to find a new cellar hole.

 

[hampton detector]

This morning was the first time I got out digging in 2023. I went to a mountaintop to find a cellar hole that I was unable to locate last summer. While searching the bank of the creek, I got a strong, repeatable 70-72 signal on my Simplex, but it seemed like one of those targets that's larger and deeper than the detector indicates. After several tree roots, a handful of rocks, and come cussin,' I popped out the Conestoga bell about 7 to 8 inches down. Wow - it was really deep for hard, rocky ground out in the woods. I wonder what kind of metal it is, as I scraped the bottom edge with the shovel just a bit, and it's shiny white inside. Pewter?

After some additional searching, I located the cellar hole, which was the earlier, above-ground mound type sometimes found in the northeast. I found six buttons between the cellar and the creek, which suggests the site hasn't been hit much, if at all. There were some clamshells strewn about, which was a pretty strange sight so high up in the mountains and far from the ocean. There were no dug iron objects or broken glass laid out on the foundation stones, which convinced me that I located a virgin site that hasn't been hit. It's been a long time coming; there aren't many left. My legs barely made it back to the car, but it looks like I have a productive site to hunt for a while.

Very nice!

 

[ArfieBoy]

Congratulations on finding your site and on the super cool bell! Both have to make you feel great! Thanks for posting.