- Dec 12, 2009
- 2,817
- 3,356
- Detector(s) used
- Garrett AT Pro, Tesoro Vaquero, Bounty Hunter Land Star, Teknetics Delta 4000, Minelab Equinox 600, Garrett Carrot
- Primary Interest:
- All Treasure Hunting
After the disappointment of being turned down at a one-time family plantation homestead, http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,311124.msg2253777.html#msg2253777 I turned my attention to the parish where I grew up and went to grade school.
The church and rectory was built in 1872 and the four room Missouri brick schoolhouse soon followed. There were two grades per room with the exception of the 6th, 7th, and 8th grades all occupying one classroom. Our library was little more than a walk-in closet. The cafeteria was never in short supply of homemade apple butter on white bread and cow tongue smothered in brown gravy, and we ate it up.
We ice skated and played hockey on the pond at recess if the ice was at least four inches thick.
Memories...
I am fortunate that my last name carries a bit of weight in this, and surrounding parishes so last week I called the church secretary to ask permission to detect this old property. I anxiously awaited for the return call by Father Huber. That call came yesterday and it couldn't have gone better. I told him that anything I find that may be of historical significance to the church would be donated back to the parish. That and the Sara Lee Key Lime Pie I brought him sealed the deal.
I was astonished to see that my old school was completely gone and in it's place was a sleek, modern one story educational facility. Father Huber explained that the old structure was getting too dilapidated so it was time to tear it down and build a new larger school with a computer lab and state of the art 'smart boards' in every classroom.
Apparently this project was not well recieved by the old-timers who campaigned on the "it was good enough fer me, by God" ticket. They eventually lost the battle but have since come to realize the new structure was needed not only for it's educational benefits but also for the safety of the students and teachers.
Father Huber insisted that I take a tour of the new facility and had the principal show me around. Even the custodian was gracious as we walked across his freshly mopped floor. I was quite honored that they took the time out of their busy day to show me around. The principal told me that he had applied for a grant for some more smart boards and other needed items so he was grateful for the chance to hone his tour-guide skills.
After the tour it was time to hit the grounds and swing the coil. Once again I got side-tracked as the Pre-K teacher and some kids were frightened by a three foot long black snake that was hanging out in the flower garden right next to the front door of the small convent building that used to house the nuns. I tried to use my detector coil to hold him down so I could grab him at the back of the head and carry him to the woods but he would have none of that. He coiled up and began shaking his tail in the dried leaves. I had to laugh because that damn black snake was doing a great job of sounding like an Eastern Diamondback rattler and scaring the kids even more.
I finally had to give up because the snake was too powerful and slithered out from under my coil everytime I thought I had it trapped.
It was finally time to swing the coil and I am positive that a metal detector has never seen this site. I couldn't swing an arc over eighteen inches without a signal. Over a century of parish picnics and sausage suppers has left the church and rectory grounds riddled with targets. I dug a couple of plugs but found nothing of any interest other than an aluminum nail and some spray can parts. I have to go about this as discreetly as possible by starting in lesser used areas then eventually work my way to the picnic and playground spots. I have pictures of the church and rectory and will upload them to this thread over the weekend.
My jaw hit the floor when the principal told me my old teacher was still teaching there. She has to be in her mid-seventies by now!
The church and rectory was built in 1872 and the four room Missouri brick schoolhouse soon followed. There were two grades per room with the exception of the 6th, 7th, and 8th grades all occupying one classroom. Our library was little more than a walk-in closet. The cafeteria was never in short supply of homemade apple butter on white bread and cow tongue smothered in brown gravy, and we ate it up.
We ice skated and played hockey on the pond at recess if the ice was at least four inches thick.
Memories...
I am fortunate that my last name carries a bit of weight in this, and surrounding parishes so last week I called the church secretary to ask permission to detect this old property. I anxiously awaited for the return call by Father Huber. That call came yesterday and it couldn't have gone better. I told him that anything I find that may be of historical significance to the church would be donated back to the parish. That and the Sara Lee Key Lime Pie I brought him sealed the deal.
I was astonished to see that my old school was completely gone and in it's place was a sleek, modern one story educational facility. Father Huber explained that the old structure was getting too dilapidated so it was time to tear it down and build a new larger school with a computer lab and state of the art 'smart boards' in every classroom.
Apparently this project was not well recieved by the old-timers who campaigned on the "it was good enough fer me, by God" ticket. They eventually lost the battle but have since come to realize the new structure was needed not only for it's educational benefits but also for the safety of the students and teachers.
Father Huber insisted that I take a tour of the new facility and had the principal show me around. Even the custodian was gracious as we walked across his freshly mopped floor. I was quite honored that they took the time out of their busy day to show me around. The principal told me that he had applied for a grant for some more smart boards and other needed items so he was grateful for the chance to hone his tour-guide skills.
After the tour it was time to hit the grounds and swing the coil. Once again I got side-tracked as the Pre-K teacher and some kids were frightened by a three foot long black snake that was hanging out in the flower garden right next to the front door of the small convent building that used to house the nuns. I tried to use my detector coil to hold him down so I could grab him at the back of the head and carry him to the woods but he would have none of that. He coiled up and began shaking his tail in the dried leaves. I had to laugh because that damn black snake was doing a great job of sounding like an Eastern Diamondback rattler and scaring the kids even more.
I finally had to give up because the snake was too powerful and slithered out from under my coil everytime I thought I had it trapped.
It was finally time to swing the coil and I am positive that a metal detector has never seen this site. I couldn't swing an arc over eighteen inches without a signal. Over a century of parish picnics and sausage suppers has left the church and rectory grounds riddled with targets. I dug a couple of plugs but found nothing of any interest other than an aluminum nail and some spray can parts. I have to go about this as discreetly as possible by starting in lesser used areas then eventually work my way to the picnic and playground spots. I have pictures of the church and rectory and will upload them to this thread over the weekend.
My jaw hit the floor when the principal told me my old teacher was still teaching there. She has to be in her mid-seventies by now!
