Oldest houses in town

Monty

Gold Member
Jan 26, 2005
10,746
166
Sand Springs, OK
Detector(s) used
ACE 250, Garrett
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I recently found out that several of the original home sites in the City are being bought and demolished for a corridor improvement project. I am personally acquainted with the City official who is doing the demos and talked to him today. Not only did I get permission to detect, he told me he would supply me with a weekly list of acquisitions ....those bought pending demolition! I have two to start on this afternoon. Background: This area is approximately six blocks long and covers both sides of 3 streets. It was originally the first all black settlement within miles and had several prospering black businesses. It sits adjacent to what was the all black high school prior to integration and across the tracks was a cotton gin There was at one time nearly 600 residents of the area. Some of the store fronts still stand. The population now is less than 50 people. There are numerous vacant stores and homes, all of which will be demolished in the next year. The area became a blight mostly in disrepair because of integration and the black families moving out into the white community. I promised to donate any artifacts to the City museum but I keep any and alll coins and/or jewelry. Best deal going for me for a while!........Wish me luck, here I go! Monty
 

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vic910

Bronze Member
Mar 14, 2005
1,097
10
Orlando, FL
Aaawwwwwww Maaaaaaaaan! I can't believe how lucky some people are! I hope you have some awesome luck Jim! Wish I could help.

vicki
 

hollowpointred

Gold Member
Mar 12, 2005
6,871
56
Detector(s) used
Minelab Explorer SE/Garrett GTI 2500/ Ace 250
thats awesome jim! be carefull if its in a shady part of town.
 

lonewolfe

Gold Member
Feb 14, 2005
5,547
585
West Michigan
🥇 Banner finds
1
Detector(s) used
A stick with a box at one end and a round thing on the other.
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Excellent Jim!

Good luck, hope you find some goodies!

HH

Lonewolfe
 

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Monty

Monty

Gold Member
Jan 26, 2005
10,746
166
Sand Springs, OK
Detector(s) used
ACE 250, Garrett
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I hit one this afternoon, a very small lot and shotgun house. Did not get even one decent beep! Nothing at all around the front porch which is unusual! Tried the back yard and fond the whole lot is a trash dump. Looks like the former occupants just threw their trash out the back door! I know these old houses once had out houses in back but nothing to tip me as to its location. This one has been vacant for aboiut ten years and may have been heavily hunted? Anyway, I got another one to go to tomorrow and it is larger and a nicer houise. The occupants just moved last week. Still has the window curtains! May have to wait until Monday as I plan on going to my hunting lease this week end to get things ready for the gun season. Monty
 

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Monty

Monty

Gold Member
Jan 26, 2005
10,746
166
Sand Springs, OK
Detector(s) used
ACE 250, Garrett
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
So far I've hit two of the sites. They are shotgun houses on 25' lots. There is so much trash I might as well just start digging without a detector! Found nothing of interest on the first lot. On the second lot I found a 1951 wheat cent first dig, found two clad pennies , a spoon, a key of some sort, lots of buried foil (what's that all about?), a bunch of rusted nails that put out a cent halo and misc other trash! The second lot had almost the entire back yard graveled at one time. An old rusted iron fence put out such a strong signal I couldn't get within 3' of it! Hunted the area where the clothes line poles were located and found nothing but old clothes pin metal clips. I've never seen such barren lots and I know they have never been detected. Not even a cat in a sack! Some of the bigger homes are being torn down later so I think I'll wait a spell until one of those is scheduled for demolition. No more posts on this subject until something worth while to report! Monty
 

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Monty

Monty

Gold Member
Jan 26, 2005
10,746
166
Sand Springs, OK
Detector(s) used
ACE 250, Garrett
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Big article in the local newspaper this morning about the first house coming down. I have a feeling I won't be alone for long! I went back to the lot where the house came down this morning. I was hoping something had been unearthed by the dozers. Didn't find much but trash. Found another round disc with a wire running across the middle of it. I have found several and seen others who posted pics of same. No one knows what they are.....except my wife! She said. "Why dummy those are curtain weights"! "They are sewn in the bottom of drapes to make them hang straight"! Darn, I married a smart woman! Don't tell her I said that or it will go to her head! ;) So, now we know! Monty
 

Born2Dtect

Bronze Member
Jun 11, 2004
1,683
68
Hurlock, Maryland
Detector(s) used
XP Deus, Excalibur II
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Hey Monty,

I thought you said you were an amateur dectectorist, that sounds like a proffessional deal you made with the city. Good luck!

Ed
 

Kent in AL

Sr. Member
Mar 21, 2003
481
5
N. Alabama
Detector(s) used
Minelab Equinox 600, Fisher CZ-6a, ID Edge
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Monty - Sounds like you have your work cut out for you this winter. Good luck. How far back does the area date? Are you using a small coil to help with target separation?
 

T

tallpaul

Guest
keep it going monty,, iam sure theres something decent there somewhere,, take your time slow with the coil,, HH paul
 

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Monty

Monty

Gold Member
Jan 26, 2005
10,746
166
Sand Springs, OK
Detector(s) used
ACE 250, Garrett
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
No, I haven't used the small coil but that's next on my list of things to do. I am going to start carrying two detectors, one with the small coil and one with the regular coil. I don't like to have to switch back and forth because it wastes time which is a premium on some of these houses. There is one old building in particular that I know dated back before statehood in 1907. It's an old stone church with just the walls standing, the ceiling has fallen in long ago. It's private property right now but as soon as the City buys it, I am there. Most of the buildings date back to the eary 1900s,a few quite possibly the 1880s, quite old for this part of the country. Several were Mom and Pop businesses at one time too. Monty
 

stoney56

Gold Member
Oct 4, 2004
6,888
56
Oklahoma
I know the feeling about waiting on teardowns, Monty. We were able to get into the yards of these for a little while and found some wheaties, a silver rosie, and an HGE ring. A fellow club member found a nice heavy silver watchband that a mower had hit and zinged the turquoise right out of it. Conoco won't let us back in till the demo work is done. All are abandoned with a few exceptions, about 30 homes so far.
 

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bk

Bronze Member
Jan 19, 2005
1,423
65
SE Minnesota
Detector(s) used
Minelab Explorer SE pro, Minelab Explorer XS, Garrett Freedom II (3), Garrett pro-pointer.
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Go for it!
Hit it hard once they start moving the dirt around.
 

Z

ZumbroKid

Guest
Monty, I looked at the pictures. I notice the trees are not that tall, and the houses are not that old looking either compared to where i live. Was the town founded in 1907 or where a few of these houses built in that year? I think it is mentioned a silver rosie and wheats were found already. This area is not the center of the towns beginnings is it? But i wonder if this was a housing area due to the increase in job with the oil refinery there. I would always hunt a site where houses are coming down myself. There are lots of trash signals in these areas, but there are lots of goodies.
What i would expect to find: Wheats, silver Rosie and Mercury dimes. The last two silver quarter types, buffalo nickles. There will be a few Indian heads and Barber type coins cause they were still in use and dropped. You should find tokens and other collectable brass items. So this should be some good fun you those of you that get in there. Keep us posted on the results.
 

eric in ks

Sr. Member
Oct 29, 2005
390
2
middle america
Hello Monte, I run a 1500 and hunt primarily old houses. While I find my share of trash I also find my oldest coins. We have quite a bit of the foil you're talking about. Looks like little pie pans and is always shredded. I usually hit sideways and walkways first then work the yard. Sidewalks always seem to give up coins. Running in relic and going to all metal to check targets help not digging iron. I usually dig all a,b,or c size targets and depending on the yard I don't always dig shallow targets. I know I leave some good targets, but every one does. Unless you want to dig every signal. I put a sunray probe on my Garrett and it made it that much better. I primarily coinshoot and this seems to work pretty good for me. Good luck on the neighborhood, Eric
 

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