Signs of a good location

[spdnj]

I am hoping people here will share some of their tips to identifying a good location to hunt when looking for places in the woods that hold history. Some examples that are basic are foundations, cellar holes and structures but what are are some of the more subtle things that successful people look for?

 

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[xdanthemanx]

well rows of black walnut or huge oak trees is a giveaway
also while driving down back roads you have to look for very faint old pathways that used to come into the road also a lot of the sites are near the top of hills rather than in lower sections due to flooding fruit trees of any kind are a giveway also ground covering ivy and iris usually where you find this stuff there is an old homestead near it look for the tall green and yellow grass
ive also walked onto several early 1800 homesites where there were still rosebushes tupips and assorted other flowers that rarely end up these kind of places without beeing planted, big collections of jack pines in the middle of no where tell you something
I will tell you i have come across deep stone lined wells that were not filled in at all on several homesites as others here will attest, they are still there and can be covered up by overgrowing grass, sticks and such
you def have to keep your eye out for these.
hope this helps
Dan

 

[kuger]

Non native decorative plants,trees,fruit trees,bushes or trees in a row.Springs or near creeks.Also pottery,porceline,china and glass shards.Research!!!!!

 

[boogeyman]

A good sign



Couldn't resist........

 

[mick56]

Around here in WI, seems like most old homesteads had lilac bushes in front of the house. The lilacs are still growing, usually with a cellar hole behind them.

 

[turtlefoot13]

When looking for an older home site in the woods, I will often look for younger trees. If there is an area where there are no old growth trees, or just a couple, it might be where the home site may have been. A lot of determining where I start to look has to do with previous research too based on plat maps, old topos, etc.

Doug

 

[SCdigger]

High ground, near water...look for black glass and blue rim/feather edge china...then you're in the zone. All of these usually add up to a "good location."

GT

 

[BC_coiner]

Look for remains of gardens. Lilacs in the middle of nowhere. Also, patches of tin cans all in one place (old dumps) usually found very close to inhabitation. Telegraph poles, modifications on trees, etc. I tend to walk along old roads just to see what I'll find. do your research. Look at settlement maps. HH.

 

[The Rebel]

I tell my kids that stone walls usually lead to something so follow them! Look for the openings so you can see the way that stuff was moved in/out.

Bing maps also let you see the woods in the fall without the leaves on the trees. This way I see the stonewalls and how they are positioned.

Look for myrtle.

As xdanthemanx said: WATCH OUT FOR UNCOVERED WELLS! I'm seen these as well, VERY DANGEROUS!. I usually put large branches in them so I or someone else can spot them.

 

[relicmeister]

Rock piles are a sure sign of land clearing, for either a homesite, or cultivation. Also examine closely unnatural mounds and depressions, and anytime you get iron signals at least you know peaople were there or passing through.