Are old cemetarys a good place to go?

[SteveDodds]

I recently finished mding an old cemetary and I am starting on another one. These are both old places with a lot of the old limestone headstones. The problem is I haven't found anything other than one wheat penny from 1958. Am I wasting my time with these places? Has anybody ever found anything at old cemetarys? Do you think it is immoral to hunt these cemetarys?

 

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[Seamuss]

There are fences around cemeteries for a reason. People are dying to get in. I don't know if I would want to rush it all that much let alone to detect there at night time and have some caretaker taping me on the shoulder scaring the begetters out of me thinking it's a poor stiff behind me.

In other words, I'm going to give it a rest. That's what I did when I worked in the morgue.

 

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[apush]

Taboo. Not where I would go. Don't go to a Texas cem. Might have a few of them folks a bit tad upset. Ya' know--family in' all. Everyone is related to each other in the South.
apush--from Texas.

 

[ppratt]

I only detect the cemetary's that have been long forgotten. I can also say I never had to good of luck at them either. I have never done a new in use location.

 

[lafatlife]

Just another thought on this topic about people leaving things at their loved one's graves. The people who care for the cemetery as well as others that show up for their loved one's often take things that are left on or near the stones. I have put some little decorations on my Grandmothers grave and they are not missing. They were so small and right up against the stone that there was no way that the lawn mower would have hit it.

If you all think that people do not go in there and take stuff that they see just laying there, you need to wake up.

Personally I wouldn't touch anything left. I wouldn't even swing around the stones. But there are areas in some places that are just reflection areas where you can go and just sit quietly. We have 2 such places in our cemetery and I have detected there. They are not near any graves. In one area, people fish there.

The bottom line on this whole conversation is people are buried there and own the plot they are in. If you do not have permission to detect there then you shouldn't as it is private property.

 

[Monk]

But stop and think a moment folks! I've heard stories where people have gone to a family grave and buried a jar with money in it. And just for the reason given by most people here. YOU WOULDN'T DIG IN A CEMETERY! This was more so in times past before metal detecters, and a good place to keep a stash. and if they ever needed to recover it, all they would have to do is plant a new bush. If anyone has ever made a grave recovery, I dought they'd say so.
I heard of one case where 2 or 3 Gallons where dug up near the headstone.

 

[Newt]

Obviously, over a grave, no way. If you find the "Parking lot" I see nothing wrong with it.
Old cemetaries had places where people would pull up and park there wagons. Is it wrong to hunt here too?
Newt

 

[Keppy]

I saw a write up in lost treasure it was from about a year ago and i can't find it just read it about a month ago. About how to and were to hunt in cemetarys . And the writer for lost treasure thought it was ok to detect cemetarys..

 

[Philvis]

I saw a write up in lost treasure it was from about a year ago and i can't find it just read it about a month ago. About how to and were to hunt in cemetarys . And the writer for lost treasure thought it was ok to detect cemetarys..

Either the next issue or the one following, the editor apologized for the article and made some clarifications that they were not condoning it. While it is standard practice to bury at 5-6 ft deep now, that has not always been the norm. Sometimes people were buried only deep enough for a coffin to go in, if there was a coffin at all. Also one might consider the fact that if you are detecting an actual gravesite, anything you find that can be considered buried within the context of the grave is considered a grave good. You are not allowed to take those. And for the poster who mentioned Native American burials, that's a big no no. If you find human bones, even on your property you have to stop digging immediately.

Digging a cemetery is just a bad idea in my opinion. Between the bad karma/mojo you may conjur up or the legal ramifications, I just don't think it is worth it.

 

[McIntosh]

So if you hold a degree in Archeology and say it's in the interest of "History" then its ok? All cemeteries usually have a office and I can't see any harm in doing drives & walkways. for all I know, I can find something "special" and return it to someones family member that lost it. So I say>>get permission (in writing), leave da graves alone and have a ball. EXCEPT when there's a funeral being performed.

MAY be a GREAT place for a "Night Hunt". No one there then but the ghouls & goblins AND>>>neighbors can't see ya. Just remember to notify the police ahead of time LOL.

 

[EDDE]

I recently finished mding an old cemetary and I am starting on another one. These are both old places with a lot of the old limestone headstones. The problem is I haven't found anything other than one wheat penny from 1958. Am I wasting my time with these places? Has anybody ever found anything at old cemetarys? Do you think it is immoral to hunt these cemetarys?

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Just for starters...

This post dedicated to Sherm.

 

[j.n.]

It looks like this thread isn't finished.

In my last post, 12/18/09, I said I thought I had found a cemetery from the 15Th. century but I should have said from the mid 15 hundred's until mid 18 hundreds.
I tried to interest a historical society in this but they never answered.

I also know of another place where there were 3 or 4 graves that I could count. 2 of my brothers who live in the area said that there several more graves that they could see. I have seen this area listed on maps as an Indian graveyard but this is a place where immigrants along the Gila Trail camped. Also Fremont and Carson had scratched their names on a large rock but but I have been told that the rock was used by the railroad for repairs.

This leaves me with a question as to whether we watch much of our past destroyed or we do something about it but what?

j.n.

 

[Sim_Player]

Don't bother. Cemetaries seldom see much activity from the living.

I once searched an old pioneer cemetary.

I checked only the open areas between the graves and around the main entrance.

No targets were found on the lawn and a few old shotgun shells were recovered from the main entrance.

Not worth the trouble.

-Sim

Where the buggies would have been parked is now a paved main road.