MDg PAs canals,worth the effort ???

[diggerdeeper]

MD'g PA's canals,worth the effort

Hi All,
Was wondering if anyone in PA has had any luck MD'g around the various remnants of the old canals that were used in SE PA back in the 19th century ??
By luck I mean any period coins, not old iron spikes and hardware.
I've had the opportunity to check out a couple of sections, but have come away pretty much empty handed, except for the odd brass cartridge case or pewter spoon handle.
I'm using an Etrac with a 10x12 coil, which can usually pickup a LC or quarter at around 10" depending on soil conditions.
Thanks for your time.

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Treasure of Victoria Peak - Grab it through Amazon!

[dholland02]

Where at in PA r u doin the canals

 

[diggerdeeper]

Lately, I've been searching a short stretch in Dauphin (?) county that is on private property; with permission of course.
Some years back, I searched a section up in Berk's County.
I think these were part of the "Union Canal".

 

[BloodyTongue]

I wish that I was more active a few years ago when the water level was lower. I remember driving by Springton Reservoir and seeing ground that's probably never been in open-air for a hundred years. I think with some patience any of the canals in Montgomery County or Manayunk would be productive.

 

[diggerdeeper]

Could be there'd be some goodies to go after.
But, I have to wonder how much money those boatmen carried.
I understand it was low pay to begin with, and there wasn't much along the way to spend money on; unless there was a tavern close by.
One spot I've been hunting has an 1830's era farm house within 75 yards of the canal. You'd think there'd have been some interaction there.
Unfortunately, significant landscaping had taken place back in the late 40's; so anything old is probably under a couple of feet of fill dirt.

 

[jeff of pa]

I haven't made any period coin finds, but haven't made any concentrated efforts either.

only canal areas I searched were northern Lebanon county along the Union Canal/Swatara Creek
& Northern Dauphin county along the Wiconisco Canal/Susquehanna river.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Pennsylvania_canals.png

 

[dholland02]

The guy I detect with did a section in muffling county ddnt find anything but scrap. But the thing is they get flooded out so much so any coins are probably really deep or washed away.

 

[nsdq]

i hunt the canal next to my house runs along the field ,formerly fed a gris mill, i have found fishing reels, nails, junk few older coins which where the two barber dimes they where along the edge of the field and canal but not much else comes out but keep at you may get lucky

 

[dholland02]

If u can find what they called the gate or lock keepers house I'm sure that would be worth hitting.

 

[diggerdeeper]

The gate keeper's house would be the place alright.
Wonder if every lock had one ?
I had a chance to check a lock out before Blue Marsh lake was completed.
Nothing but scrap iron.
A lot of potentially good places are under water now.
Guess that's what wet suits, scuba gear, and CTX's are made for ! LOL !

 

[dholland02]

Lol there's one bout 10 mins from me but they have a hiking trail around it now so I dunno if I could get into it

 

[DiggerDave in Pa.]

I hunted some of the canal remains in Huntingdon County and came home empty handed. The finds were too deep or just weren't there. That won't stop me from trying though. DD.

 

[nsdq]

you all are more than welcome to hunt in mine

 

[dholland02]

I've got an ace 250 now I'm looking to get a minelab safari here soon. As soon as I get it I might hit the ones by my place to see what comes up with a better detector.

 

[diggerdeeper]

Could be the old stuff is too deep to find without serious equipment, but somebody somewhere shoulda come up with something of interest.
Pretty amazing to think those guys polled them boats back and forth for what, 85-90 years and didn't lose a large penny along the way
And they were rough housers too, so drunken fights were probably pretty common; and things woulda flew then !
Just hafta keep lookin............

 

[ticm]

I did a small section in bucks county. Lots of crap. Need a back ho to dig it a foot or two to get to the good stuff.

 

[CousinEddie]

Be careful doing the canals in Bucks!! If the DCNR sees you they will tell you to stop. Believe me, they make a big deal about it. I live in Bucks County, close to the canal, and find many of the so called "laws" about md'ing around here seem to be mostly about who you know. I was kicked out of a rest stop along the canal and then two weeks later I saw an excavation/archaeology team in the SAME SPOT. They came in with a back hoe and tore everything to hell. YET, I'm not allowed to look for coins? Typical bullshit from the park systems in Pa. I even purchased the $10 permit to hunt the Bucks County parks...total waste of $$$. The good spots are off limits and the rangers bother me constantly to see my permit. Hope you can find something cool!! These canals were heavily used.

 

[diggerdeeper]

Well you see.... those arky-olo-gists are "paper trained".
All that means is they spent time at college partying like all the rest, but they majored in old stuff.
They get paid big bucks to do what we do for free; and people naturally assume that that paper means they know what they're doing.
And the park rangers? Sorry, but I think a lot them are just collecting a pay check like the rest of us.
If their butt is sore or they had a fight with the old lady, guess who gets the flack ?
The poor dumb guy swinging that metal detector who probably isn't finding anything anyway......
BUT MIGHT BE !!!

This reminds me of a news paper write up years ago regarding an acquaintance of mine that dug outhouse pits for a hobby(with permission of course)
Well, the local historical society just about branded him a grave robber; and the head stuffed shirt at the time declared that this guy was robbing our county of it's past.
But you know what ? Not one of those pompous stuffed shirts ever got off their behinds to do anything unless they were getting paid, or at least getting some sort of recognition for their efforts.
And I doubt they EVER dug a 3-4 foot hole down 8-10 feet or more, then risked their necks crawling down that hole to poke around for some old bottles .
Historical places get bulldozed over every week, and unless the hobbyists are there after work,on the weekend, in the rain or cold, the stuff is LOST forever.
And with the cutbacks these days, those paper wagging professionals are going to be in shorter supply when there is work to be done.
Sorry if I sound cynical and disrespectful of authority; but I've been around awhile and I've seen what those in power can accomplish.......

 

[smokeythecat]

I detected on the Cecil County Maryland side once a long time ago before dinosaurs roamed the earth. Found a couple early US 3 cent pieces and a half dime. I think I still have them. I heard tales of numerous English and early American coppers coming out, lots of them, but that was a long time ago. This is on the Susquehanna River.

 

[diggerdeeper]

Thanks Smokey.
I'm thinking that might be the case with any areas that have been (or were) easily accessible "before the dinosaurs".
It would be impossible to tell how hard a place has been hunted since the 60's or 70's.
And a lot of the old old timers aren't around anymore to tell us.