Why are sidewalk demos good?

[Idaho PRB]

Why are sidewalk demolitions good for old coins? Is it because people used to travel thse same paths before there was concrete? Just curious, Thanks in advance.
Idaho PRB

 

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[YankeeDownSouthAdv.]

depending on how old sidewalk is really...i hit up an old area in front of building today just had a hunch, and i got myself a merc dime and a silver war nickel...so..i am starting to pull over when i see em doing construction!!..HH..Gregg

 

[bk]

If the buildings and houses were there before cement was around they were either wooden sidewalks or foot paths. If they were board sidewalks, you could have a field day!
If a coin was dropped onto a board sidewalk, the coin would roll until it fell into the crack between the boards. As years went by, dust and dirt would eventually "hide" the coin under a thin layer of silt. Years later when cement sidewalks were put in, they would usually bring the level up to grade with sand and sometimes cinders. Most of the time it was only a few inches deep. Then, when the sidewalk is replaced, the coins that were originally lost may only be a few inches deep.
The same is true if it were only a foot path. The area would become a low spot because of the traffic and washing effects. usually a small amount of sand was put down to make it level, then cement was poured.
I have hunted under sidewalks in front of homes from say the 1920's and found nothing. Most homes built at that time already had sidewalks put in when the home was new, therefore nothing would be under the sidewalk.
I have found coins front of business's where the coins were older than most of the buildings. Thats because there were older wood frame buildings before the brick buildings. If you are finding square nails, then you will find old coins.

 

[omnicognic]

They are like a time capsule, sealed until the demo! all the coins wait to be uncovered when the sidewalk is torn up! 8)

 

[wmas1960]

Since I started this, I was called away and a few more replies have come in.? Perhaps this has been mentioned but, anyways, here goes.? This is a Loooong post but hopefully full of history and thoughts to spark some research and treasure hunting in your areas.

As was mentioned, it would depend on how old the sidewalk or area is, where the sidewalk is located.? What the history is etc. First, note that many neighborhoods are built on what used to be other types of properties.? It might be such things as an old school campus, a farm, estate or other large land kind of area.? Streets and sidewalks could be built over areas that were used for other purposes.? Houses might be torn down to build a street and the road and sidewalks could be right over an area where residents might have lost items.? ?

Where I live, during my life time, this area was, kind of, on the outskirts of some more established old neighborhoods.? Land out here was more wide open compared to the old streets with close houses....? Some land here was institutional lilke an old college, a couple convents, a seminary... or, there was an airport that has since been redeveloped into what could be seen as an entire city.? Shopping mall, Multi-Screen Theater, Museums, a Fire Academy, townhouses, homes, condos, retirement communities....? ?There were still a few farms around and some of the homes were large ones built on double or triple lots etc.? ?Over the years, I have seen the farms subdivided into condos and townhouses or the estates consisting of many acres redeveloped into half a dozen more expensive homes.? ?I have seen some Private schools, a Naval Air Base,a convent and some farm land? owned by the Catholic Church, turned into a couple corporate headquarters, a shopping center, condos, town homes and now an old Catholic College, in town is slated for redevelopment into a park and more housing.? ?

A couple examples close to me personally, are the school that I went to through High School.? A private military academy that was on many acres and a couple hundred feet of good lakefront land.? ?When enrollment started to drop off and the school had some financial troubles, they started to sell off some of their land to developers.? ?Areas that used to be a lagoon, where we used to go hang out and find crawdads frogs etc., and collect water samples for science class,? or lakefront where we used to go in the afternoons and fish, sail, swim, waterski, skate in the winter..., the area where cadets from years gone by, (WW I and WW II years)? used to camp out and have war games for training, Areas that were dotted with fox holes that were connected with trenches, are now, or were developed into million dollar homes.? ? When the school could no longer continue on, they closed the doors for good.? ?While trying to find another suitable use for such a building, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, vandals got into the building and did enough damage that it wasn't feasable to save the building.? So, it was torn down.? It has been about 10 years since I had been there.? Too painful.? Then, last May, when I went for a dediction of a landmark. I saw that the campus, where we used to play football, have parades, stroll the lake front, go sledding and, actually, even metal detect, loose our allowances when fishing or swimming, dropping medals, ribbons or buttons during parades.....? is now being developed into more million dollar homes.? ? Streets have been built over some of these areas.? Basically they are just driving paths but in time, if it gets really developed, they could find it necessary to build actuall sidewalks.? That might mean further paving over areas where items could have been lost.? ?

Some of the area where we used to have parades, or where the baseball diamond and football field were, will largely be maintained as a park setting... with a sidewalk type nature trail running through it.? ?When paved, that sidewalk could be put right over some prime treasure.? ?The school was built prior to but opened in 1915.? So, there were many years of history there.? Some of that, will undoubtably, get paved and cemented over.? ?

Prior to that, the school was located in Illinois where it was founded.? Following a fire that totally destroyed the buildings, the founder moved it to it's last location.? ?The previous location existed back to around 1890.? That area,? is now completely developed with estate homes in a suburb outside of Chicago.? Some of those homes and the streets around them, running accross the old school campus, were put there in the early 1900s and are now around 100 yrs old.? ?So, imagine what might be under some of the established streets and sidewalks in that area.? I know an approx. area of where the school was.? I intend to go to the historical society or city to see if I can narrow down, exactly, where certain parts of the campus were.? So that I can keep areas in mind, where I might detect if there is some renovation or street construction....? ?Work where deep soil might get exposed and old, 100+ year old treasure, might be there for the finding.? ? Might find an old belt buckle or military medal.? Some money lost by a cadet, or a visitor who came to campus to see their son.? Something lost while on an encampment or military drill...? or during a stroll down a path to Lake Michigan.? ?This particular school had a great history for a "Bicycle Corps".? An old year book, of sorts, that I bought on eBay, detailed trips from the campus, during one of the long holiday weekends, Some cadets rode their bicycles up through Northern Lake County, then back, returning back to campus by the end of the long weekend. The article cronicled their journey as they bought food from local farmers, cooked a chicken over a campfire... (UNDERCOOKED), had mechanical problems etc.? ?There may have been other sites, along their bicycle rides where they might have set camp, lost tools, eating and camping implements and equipment, money etc.? ?Some of those areas could be in areas that have since been developed or paved with streets and sidewalks.?

Another possibility, that I have been finding, reading some of the history of the towns near where I live.? Going back to the 1800s, when industrialists came up from Chicago, to settle along the railroad, or immigrant farmers settled west of town, (where I live now), some of the sidewalks around the main streets were not paved.? In town, the streets were, largely, cobble stone and might have been lined with wooden plank walkways. People walking along might have lost coins or jewelry or other items from their pockets...? Those items would have fallen through gaps in the wooden sidewalk and fallen into dirt underneath.? ?Outside of town, roads would have been dirt or gravel and items lost on them could have ended up easilly burried in the surface.? ?People hitching up their horses in front of dry goods stores, taverns, blacksmith...? might have lost things in the dirt and gravel in front of the local businesses.? ?With increased development, population growth etc., the village grew and improvements were made and these streets and sidewalks paved over.? Sidwalks might have been covered with gravel or stone then later paved with concrete.? In 120 or 130 years, some of those sidewalks would have been replaced a few times.? Some like those in my neighborhood which used to be farms, may have been untouched and undesturbed for more than 50 years now.? ?In my area, it might not be that big of a deal because this was sparse forest and farm land prior to 1920 when the subdivison was layed out, but think of one of the older, more established neighborhoods where cobble stone roads were simply paved over and wooden sidewalks removed and replaced with stone or concrete.? Some of them may have been replaced a couple times over the years but, it would be fair to imagine that many of them have been in place for 40 to 70 years.? ?Some of those sidewalks might be in a state of disrepair where they are on the routine schedule of replacement.? Our town sends people out who mark off areas of pavement that are worn and need to be replaced.? They may not do an entire street, unless a major sewer or utility project is planed.? However, they might mark a hundred feet of sidewalk or curbs for replacement. Concrete crews will come in one day, dig it all up and prep it.? A couple days later, a cement truck will go down the street filling the area with fresh concrete.? ?You see a patch of sidewalk dug up, act fast.? They did some in my neighborhood a couple days before I was leaving for Las Vegas.? How I wanted to get out and check, just for kicks.? I didn't have the time or a chance and 2 days later, there was fresh concrete poured in their place.? In my neighborhood situation, like I said, it might not have resulted in much.? However, had I been living in one of the more established neighborhoods, that date back to the turn of the century or late 1800s, that opportunity might have been exposing areas that were simply grass parkways or wooden walk ways.?

One situation that happened several years ago, before I was into detecting, was, I think, a sewer project on the old side of town.? They had to tear up a street to put in new serwers or water main or something.? ? That meant taking up the entire street and excavating.? Then installing new streets and sidewalks.? My understanding is that, when they dug up the pavement, as is the case elsewhere around town, they found that the old cobble stone was simply paved over with asphalt.? Rails from the old inter-urban train were still embedded down the middle of the road.? ?They simply rolled out asphalt over the top of everything.? Think of all the old coins that were between the stones or in the base.? During the depression, work projects were utilized to turn all the cobble stones in the town.? Since then, they haven't been touched, except for occasional patch work etc.? it is said that the cobbles are the best most stable base for the asphalt streets. Thus, often, they are just paved right over as Asphalt is easier to clear in the winter and easier and cheaper to maintain.? Something else to keep an eye out for.? Whenever they have to do some work on a cobble street.? ?