stupid question/cellar hole

[FarmerChick]

ok I see everyone say they hunt cellar holes

what are they?

I kinda think I know but then I kinda don't....lol
and how do you find one?



thanks

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Family Maps of Hinds County, Mississippi, Deluxe Edition - Grab it through Amazon!

[Burnt Chimney]

The old days version of the basement for keeping produce canned goods and cured meat , when the house is long gone the hole in the ground will mark the spot .
If the house burned the good stuff will end up here .

 

[watercolor]

Not a stupid question. . . really

Cellar holes are sort of a generic term for what's left of former home-sites.

Around where I live, cellar hole indications are usually shallow depressions in
the ground with scattered bricks or medium-sized rocks around the edges with
TONS of metal, broken glass, ceramics. . . (and other cool stuff that my wife won't allow
in the house ) strewn around the perifery. . . oh, and also old coins .

Most of the cellar hole locations I've found were by researching land ownership maps
(Plat Maps) from the 19th-century at my local library (in the Geneology section) and on
the internet. Some of these plats I've looked at even had small squares indicating where
buildings once stood.

Many times I will look at Google Earth imagery and HistoricAerials.com of the public areas I
am allowed to hunt and then check out the older plats of these areas that have homesites
indicated. I can then match up the current Google aerials with these maps.

Another good source are out-of-print USGS Topographic maps from the late 1890's & early 1900's.
Some libraries and/or the county court house may have actual copies or reproductions of these maps
that you can look at or make copies of. These will also have cultural features (man-made structures,
roads, etc.) indicated on them that you may be able to match up with current mapping or aerial
photos.

Researching can be half the fun. . . and when you find a site that has cool stuff, it's even more rewarding.

Good luck & HH!

 

[FarmerChick]

wow
thanks for the info guys

this sure helps me alot and now I understand!

I gotta go searching me a cellar hole
and yea I know where 2 of those situations are so I will hit them and see what happens!
appreciate the info!

 

[Bum Luck]

Don't forget to look for the "garbage" dump, some distance from the house. I used to find great old bottles in them, the older ones on the bottom.

 

[Kentucky Kache]

Not all cellars are under the house.

 

[007]

Here You Go ... Great WebSite : How To Metal Detect Around Cellar Holes : Metal Detecting Cellar Holes at Abandoned Homestead Site
Guide to Successful Treasure Hunting & Searching Strategy with Photos " Note at the bottom of the page there are more page numbers 7 pages in all"
http://metaldetectingworld.com/metal_detecting_cellar_holes_p1.shtml

 

[RGINN]

Where I come from cellar holes have nothing to do with the house. They were holes dug in the ground that you went to for protection from tornadoes. 'Storm Shelters'. They could be very simple, a hole in the ground, to more elaborate, concrete walls and roof, steps, and a door. You pretty much included this addition in your home plans in Oklahoma. They still do. It was also the handiest place for storing canned goods, so they're a good source of old jars and bottles. Do not overlook the outhouse site on old homeplaces, either.

 

[FarmerChick]

thats for the site I have it bookmarked and have been reading a bunch already lol


yea I thought of cellars, as in "storm cellars" but the more I check into it they do seem like a general term for "around the house" etc

at least I know now!

 

[Woodland Detectors]

Not a stupid question at all. Now your catching on. Just don't fall in one. They are all over near you in the woods , and sometimes you never know they are there.. Seriously. I find some good stuff in them.

Good luck

 

[FarmerChick]

Not a stupid question at all. Now your catching on. Just don't fall in one. They are all over near you in the woods , and sometimes you never know they are there.. Seriously. I find some good stuff in them.

Good luck

Am I going to be hunting some woods and run into you?


oh yea, I am starting to think more about "where to hunt" and realizing I gotta get that mindset of thinking about olden times and how they moved, gathered, etc.