Detecting by old school houses

[Bigj5731]

I have 2 or 3 old school houses that I'm going to metal detect this weekend on my land. There is nothing left but the frame of these schools.

I also coin roll hunt so I check this website for any finds on old coins often.

What are some of the items you have found metal detecting old school houses? Are they a good place to find things??

Please let me know.

Look forward to hearing from you!

I like pictures.

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Minelab PRO-FIND 35 Waterproof Pinpointer Metal Detector for Experts with Tone ID & Adjustable Sensitivity - Grab it through Amazon!

[Smudge]

At old school houses, you are much more likely to find coins than anything else, just like at today's schoolyards.

I would be surprised if you find any jewelry. Old toy parts and metal soldiers aren't uncommon either.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

I don't know what state you're in, but here in CA, I have found the back-country 1-room school houses to be basically poor places to hunt (in so far as coins go, anyhow).

You've got to figure that back before the age of autos (say, prior to the mid-teens or whatever), whenever 5 or 7 neighbors had 15 or 20 kids between them all, they'd erect a 1-room school house. And these could be a little as 4 or 5 miles apart, dotting country roads all throughout back-countries. They could be short-lived little affairs lasting as little as a year or two, or maybe 10 or 15 yrs, or whatever. They faded away in the age of automobiles, as the little schools gave way to the bigger consilidated schools, or bussing them to town, etc... So very few of these schools tend to have lasted later than about 1920 (unless of course, they were the consolidation point of mulitple other smaller ones).

And the demographics of kids in the 1800s, and through the teens, was to have zero (read, "zero") coins to carry around, to begin with kids. There was simply no need. I've hit SOOOO many of these, that I know for a fact are virgin, yet tend to find no coins. I'll get buttons, suspender clips, pencil tops, harmonica reeds, rivots, etc... showing me the site is virgin, yet nothing of value. Or if I DO get a coin, an interesting pattern developes: Let's say the school existed from 1888 to 1918. Oddly, the only coin to surface will usually tend to be a teens wheatie, for instance. I think to myself "bingo, a seated or IH is sure to pop up next". But try as I may, it'll be the only coin. I've seen this repeated again and again.

I used to laugh at the oldtimers who grew up before, and during the depression, who would say "we never had any money to carry when we were kids". I used to think that was just cutsie sayings, platitudes, poor memories, etc... But the more and more I hunted 1-room school houses, the more I realized there was a truth to it.

I've seen this same demographics played out at urban schools too: For anyone who's hunted since the 1970s, back when urban schools were still fairly virgin, they'll see this demographics played out too: If a school, for example, were built in the teens or '20s, the coin-spread is never evenly spread throughout the decades. The vast majority of coin finds were and are always from the 1940s/50s losses. Ie.: a lot of post-war silver losses (mercs, roosies, etc.. and if the mercs were teens, they were more worn evidencing longer circulation). We used to reason that the reason for this, was the older silver, from the earlier days of the school, must simply be deeper than our old TRs could reach. But occasionally when we would find a crisp (early loss) early dated wheatie or V-nickel or whatever, we would notice that depth was not the issue. And later, when deep-seeking machines allowed us to punch deeper, there was never a "magical layer" of the "next 100 silvers", that was simply older than the strata we'd already farmed out. So why isn't the decade of the teens and '20s having just as many coins (assuming student populations were relative)? Because of the demographics of wealth at the time. The post-war generation was very affluent, compared to the depression and earlier. It became nothing for kids in the 1950s to have coins in their pocket, especially with the introduction with school lunch programs, milk-money, etc....

About the only time country school yards will have coins (beyond flukes) is if the school were also used for adult purposes. Like some of the doubled as grange halls, community rooms, churches on Sundays, dances, etc....

JMHO

 

[Ray S ECenFL]

Let us know what you find, please.

 

[BuckleBoy]

Tom is partly correct about one-room school houses... The other part of the story is this: In rural areas, they were also used for legal matters, town meetings, and other events. I've found jewelry at schoolhouses, but they were all newer ones (40s and 50s--those were the decades that kids started to have a bit of spending money). Never found a piece of good jewelry at a one-room. But I have found old costume jewelry around those. Seems like the most common find at one-room schoolhouses is Indian Head cents.

Of course you should hunt around them! And if you need any inspiration, take a look at this link:

http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,210169.0.html


-Buck

 

[kai_gold]

Interesting insights. Perhaps many will not have many lost coins, but this could be one of the exceptions. You'll never know until you give it a go. Might also try a little ways away from the school. Maybe there was an old picnic area nearby. Let us know how it goes. HH

 

[Bigj5731]

I am from west michigan.

I will let everyone know how the hunt goes on saturday...if weather permits

 

[Bigj5731]

The school house burned down in the late 1800's. Hopefully there will still be some remains of something from that time period.

 

[fistfulladirt]

I've hunted 3 schoolhouse this year. Nothing-zilch,zip. They've been pounded to death since the '70's. I'm in Southern Mich. Good luck to ya! ffd

 

[BuckleBoy]

I've hunted 3 schoolhouse this year. Nothing-zilch,zip. They've been pounded to death since the '70's. I'm in Southern Mich. Good luck to ya! ffd

What kind of schoolhouse? One room? Larger one?

The types of sites that have been "pounded out" vary from location to location. When I lived in Virginia, none of the churches had even been touched. In Kentucky, none of the one room schools had been touched, but all the newer schoolyards had been hit to death (as well as all the churches).

-Buck

 

[fistfulladirt]

I've hunted 3 schoolhouse this year. Nothing-zilch,zip. They've been pounded to death since the '70's. I'm in Southern Mich. Good luck to ya! ffd

What kind of schoolhouse? One room? Larger one?

The types of sites that have been "pounded out" vary from location to location. When I lived in Virginia, none of the churches had even been touched. In Kentucky, none of the one room schools had been touched, but all the newer schoolyards had been hit to death (as well as all the churches).

-Buck

B, these are one room and larger, average 150 years old. At one that I hunted, the landowner said that they have chased countless people off the property over the years. Many people here think nothing of obtaining permission. If it's not posted private, they think it's fair game. It's mostly rural farm country. ffd

 

[Tuberale]

A little different perspective on the question.

I attended a one-room school house. The same one my father attended, and my grandparents donated the land for. Operated for close to 70 years. Found some recent stuff there. Expected to find more near where the outhouses were, but zilch. Mostly in the playgrounds. And, oddly, a lot right next to the school, especially near the back door where kids ran out for recess. Not much silver, but wasn't expecting any really.

I don't remember taking money to school. About the only time money _might_ have been lost were at school picnics, community meetings, voting, or more recently, family reunions.

Tried my local cemetery too: five generations buried there. Found almost nothing. Interesting history of this cemetery: it was planned as a townsite, but no water was readily available. So turned into a cemetery instead.

 

[BuckleBoy]

I've hunted 3 schoolhouse this year. Nothing-zilch,zip. They've been pounded to death since the '70's. I'm in Southern Mich. Good luck to ya! ffd

What kind of schoolhouse? One room? Larger one?

The types of sites that have been "pounded out" vary from location to location. When I lived in Virginia, none of the churches had even been touched. In Kentucky, none of the one room schools had been touched, but all the newer schoolyards had been hit to death (as well as all the churches).

-Buck

B, these are one room and larger, average 150 years old. At one that I hunted, the landowner said that they have chased countless people off the property over the years. Many people here think nothing of obtaining permission. If it's not posted private, they think it's fair game. It's mostly rural farm country. ffd

That's sad that folks think they can hunt anywhere they please. Are these structures still standing?

 

[fistfulladirt]

I've hunted 3 schoolhouse this year. Nothing-zilch,zip. They've been pounded to death since the '70's. I'm in Southern Mich. Good luck to ya! ffd

What kind of schoolhouse? One room? Larger one?

The types of sites that have been "pounded out" vary from location to location. When I lived in Virginia, none of the churches had even been touched. In Kentucky, none of the one room schools had been touched, but all the newer schoolyards had been hit to death (as well as all the churches).

-Buck

B, these are one room and larger, average 150 years old. At one that I hunted, the landowner said that they have chased countless people off the property over the years. Many people here think nothing of obtaining permission. If it's not posted private, they think it's fair game. It's mostly rural farm country. ffd

That's sad that folks think they can hunt anywhere they please. Are these structures still standing?

Many still standing. Here's one that I hunted with the new owner.

 

[Goes4ever]

I have hunted many one room school houses and "sites" where they once stood, I have found a lot of indian pennies, wheats, merc dimes, barber dimes, buffalo's one shield nickel, barber quarter, Standing liberty quarter, tokens, gold filled rings, cufflinks, etc.....I hunt everyone I get a chance to hunt!

 

[Woodland Detectors]

I am from west michigan.

I will let everyone know how the hunt goes on saturday...if weather permits

Grand Rapids perhaps?
Muskegon, Pentwater? I have a couple tips for you if you are in this area.

 

[fistfulladirt]

The best sites, like G4 mentioned, are the ones which I call "invisible schoolhouse", no structure, foundation, only a hint that a building once stood there. I look for a pattern of old trees, such as old maples, on a corner country lot. I then seek permission to hunt.

 

[Goes4ever]

The best sites, like G4 mentioned, are the ones which I call "invisible schoolhouse", no structure, foundation, only a hint that a building once stood there. I look for a pattern of old trees, such as old maples, on a corner country lot. I then seek permission to hunt.

I actually use 1800's platt maps that have all the old schools, churches and homesites on there, then I have a 2009 plat map, match it up find the current owner and hunt it when the cropped are off, spring or fall! the best ones are ones that were tore down 40 yrs ago, some pay off real well

 

[BuckleBoy]

I've hunted 3 schoolhouse this year. Nothing-zilch,zip. They've been pounded to death since the '70's. I'm in Southern Mich. Good luck to ya! ffd

What kind of schoolhouse? One room? Larger one?

The types of sites that have been "pounded out" vary from location to location. When I lived in Virginia, none of the churches had even been touched. In Kentucky, none of the one room schools had been touched, but all the newer schoolyards had been hit to death (as well as all the churches).

-Buck

B, these are one room and larger, average 150 years old. At one that I hunted, the landowner said that they have chased countless people off the property over the years. Many people here think nothing of obtaining permission. If it's not posted private, they think it's fair game. It's mostly rural farm country. ffd

That's sad that folks think they can hunt anywhere they please. Are these structures still standing?

Many still standing. Here's one that I hunted with the new owner.

That may be part of the issue. Hunt the long-vanished ones and you'll do better. Most hunters don't know they were ever there. The only schoolhouses I've ever hit that were hunted were the ones that were still standing, or that there was some obvious sign of.


-Buck