found old fairgrounds

[lededoop5125]

I was using historic map works to find the first church in the area... after using my book that has the history of all townships in my county. When I was looking at an 1874 map I stumbled upon the fairgrounds.. the location ended up being about a 1/4 mile from the current location. Its in a local park... would this site be worth my time.. or ''hunted out''

 

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[vpnavy]

You can find a million posts where a place has been hunted and hunted and all of a sudden a member finds a rear coin, etc. If you have the time and enjoy swinging the MD - what would it hurt to see if you are better at MD'ng then the other's that have declared the site ''hunted out?'' Anyway, that is my opinion and that counts for nothing!

 

[Tom_in_CA]

If the site is no secret to the history books, and if there are other md'rs in your area that have "done their homework" over the last 20+ yrs, then yes, it might have been hit.

But as vp-navy says, no one ever gets it all. It worth a try. But yes, I can think of some such places that the oldtimers like us worked 20 or 30 yrs. ago, that I'd pity the poor person now who goes there looking for silver. But, give it a try. You have nothing to loose.

 

[BryanM362]

If the site is no secret to the history books, and if there are other md'rs in your area that have "done their homework" over the last 20+ yrs, then yes, it might have been hit.

But as vp-navy says, no one ever gets it all. It worth a try. But yes, I can think of some such places that the oldtimers like us worked 20 or 30 yrs. ago, that I'd pity the poor person now who goes there looking for silver. But, give it a try. You have nothing to loose.

Tom, a follow up question to your comment above, because I have been hitting it pretty hard with little luck. Aside from finding a few scraps, where do you go, if all the public spots are hunted out? What is left, just private yards?

I guess I am getting a little frustrated. I have been putting in probably 10+ hours a week, and haven't found silver in close to 2 months....

 

[Tom_in_CA]

Tom, a follow up question to your comment above, because I have been hitting it pretty hard with little luck. Aside from finding a few scraps, where do you go, if all the public spots are hunted out? What is left, just private yards?

I guess I am getting a little frustrated. I have been putting in probably 10+ hours a week, and haven't found silver in close to 2 months....

Wow, a book could be written to answer this question. But I'll give it a try in a few short paragraphs. I started when I was about 14 yr.s old, in high school, wherever my bike would take me to Now I'm 52. But back in the 1970s, you could get silver from the local parks here. Nothing astounding (we considered 2 or 3 silvers to be a good "take" for an effort), since the machines weren't as sophisticated. But anyhow: I distinctly recall that our oldest park in town, you could take a first-time beginner to, to teach him his machine. And sometimes they'd get silver on their very first outing there (with the instruction of someone showing them the sounds, settings, etc...). But NOW, it takes a hard-core ace hunter to get anymore silver out of that place. A newbie is simply going to be "lost" there now, and condemned to deal with clad, foil, zinc, etc... I can think of a lot of parks like that, where it would be miserable to hunt them now. Yet "back in the day" we plyed them for silver, IH's, barbers, etc...

Same for defunct relicky spots: stage stops, country picnic sites that ceased being used in the 1920s, defunct scout camps, etc... We did our research in those days, and hunted them to a frazzle. Sure, something more can still maybe be found, but .... we certainly weren't lame enough to leave good 4 star signals. And also go figure: the machines of 10 or 15 yrs. ago were as good as today's machines, in a lot of regards. I mean, for example: the explorer is now well over 10 yrs. old.

Anyhow, I can feel the pain of the person starting out. We used to have a club here, and invariably, someone just picking up their first machine, would excitedly come into the club meetings with the "sure-fire" spot he just researched out from the local history books (old camps, old defunct parks, etc...). But we'd have to "break the news to them" that those were old-news spots.

So yeah, in some regards it s*cks just starting out, when you're at the whims of the very same historical research books as someone 10, 20, or 30 yrs. ago had.

To be continued in the next post.

 

[mr helton]

To be continued in the next post.

*waits impatiently*

 

[lededoop5125]

yeah I haven't found any silver since 2012 I feel your frustration

 

[Tom_in_CA]

ok, so to answer your question: I would hook up with long-time hunters in your area to learn what's been hit, and what hasn't (if "fresh" spots are your goal). And when I say "long-time hunters", I mean the hardcore hunters who really got the silver "back in the day". Ie.: not timid sand box hunters, etc....

Because just as in the examples I gave you of my area, I could save a newbie lots of time (and have often done so), when they come to me asking "have you ever tried such & such place", etc... I can tell them of others who did, or perhaps I did, etc.. And then give an analysis of how well we hit it, what the potentials I feel are still there, etc.. Or perhaps it's simply something I never chanced on, or out-of-my geographic locale of research, etc.. What I mean is, perhaps someone can get on to a new gem that no one else has thought of or gained access too. Those are usually not going to be in "obvious" source books. But you might find a book or resource that isn't well known, and find something that no one else has found or pursued.

Also: some areas had less pressure in the USA than others. You know, like certain locales had very few hunters, or very few bold and exotic ones anyhow. So it never ceases to amaze me how I read of certain locations in another part of my state (a few hours drive away). And I think to myself: CERTAINLY the locals were/are "all over this". But I make the drive and try it anyhow. And I am sometimes amazed at how certain areas just didn't/don't get the pressure. Like how in the h*ck can someone find a virgin stage stop, that is no secret to the history books, and find 2 gold coins and scores of seateds in THIS day and age (but it just happened to me).

Same for turfed parks: There are some parts of the USA where the parks might indeed have been worked hard, yet the locals only got down to no more than 6 or 7" deep (d/t they're not using deeper-seeking machines, or just aren't wise to how to get the max from them, etc...). So there are some parks in CA that I like to stop at, whenever passing through parts of the state, which still give up silver. But the tendency seems to be that it's a lack of roosies, and mostly '20s silver or earlier. Why? Because the locals did a good job at cleaning out the clad and top 6", but weren't akin to get deeper. So don't be afraid to travel if your area is lame.

Other places that are still a "frontier" are: yards of private homes (because not many people like knocking on doors), and old-town urban demolition (assuming you can ... uh .... be discreet and go in after 5pm when the workers cut out). When doing old yards, start with tame stuff like homes from the 1940s or '50s (verses the instinctive thing to go to the 1800's homes). Get your practice is post WWII homes. Then progress to the older yards (which can sometimes tend to have more nails, clutter, etc...).

 

[lededoop5125]

I have many possible places but im timid of asking permission. If I got passed that obstacle I could have many spots. That's my main issue when it comes to finding new spots

 

[Tom_in_CA]

lededoop5125, one way to get around this obstacle, is to immerse yourself in local historical volunteer things. Like for example: If there's a historical museum or historical society, join and start volunteering (docent stuff, etc...). That opens up the doors immensely to lead to "in's". And to simply drop such "credentials" when talking to strangers helps a lot.

Example: "Hi, I'm a museum guide and such & such monument [museum, library, etc..] doing research on the stage stop which was said to be on the back acres over yonder in that cow pasture.... do you know anything about that?". And often while saying such a line, I'm holding my museum badge in hand showing them as we speak. Yeah Yeah, I know, the "fox gaurding the henhouse", but it works wonders. It seems to give an instant air of credibility to them, as if they think they're talking to a historian, etc...

another example: I knew a fellow who taught grade school special ed. And when it came time for the history lessons, he would sometimes bring in things he'd found to pass around (show & tell, etc... to illustrate the day's lesson). So for example he might pass around a coin "that the cowboys carried", or a horseshoe ... etc.... And whenever he'd head out to Nevada and Arizona for his ghost town excursions, and if he'd get to a place where he'd have to talk to a landowner, he'd allude to the effect of he taught special ed. students and was in need of props for the next year's show & tell, blah blah. It was a nice-story, which melted the hearts of the listener and opened lots of doors

I guess what I'm trying to say is just the usual sales know-how: There MUST be an "in" or "connection" to your subject. Even to say something like "I'm friends with your neighbor down the road, and he tells me there used to be a picnic grounds here", etc.... Lest, ... yes, to simply walk up and say "can I metal detect here?" with no sort of rhyme or reason, is met with a lot of "no's".

 

[lededoop5125]

Thanks for the help. I will see if there is any historic society or museum in the area. It should help a lot

 

[BryanM362]

Thanks for the great answer Tom. Makes sense.

In the last 2 months, I have hit the following places and found little:

1860 House, didn't even find digable signal! Someone must have been there before me.
1927 Church, nothing but a few clad.
1930's cabin near a friends lakefront house. Nothing but clad
Late 1800's camping site along a river. Nothing.
1830's house site, part of a Park now. some clad, part of a pocket watch couldn't determine age.
Part of an 1830's Canal that ran from Indiana to Cinci. About 4 clad
Old house foundation, so trashy couldn't hardly detect. Found a 1975 Casio Calculator! Woo Hoo!
Park woods where an old house used to be. Nothing
Late 1800's Farm. Knocked on Door. Farmer's nephew had detected it, let me try anyhow. Just some clad an a metal toothpaste tube.
Old 1800's Church and adjacent Ball field. 1- Crotal Bell, no clad. But friend did find a 1942 Canadian Half.
Park in an older neighborhood. 1965 and newer clad, but lots of it!
Athletic Field at closed school (Not sure how old) Some clad, but got rained out. Need to go back.
Park in Downtown Cinci, was homestead from 1809 - late 1800's, then a park. some clad. but it was rebuilt in 1968, so may be fill dirt.
Park, North of Cinci. One of those that I'm sure has been hammered. A little clad a wheatie, and a 1941 Merc. Last Silver I found.

So, I am trying, and doing research to find good spots, just not much luck. Most of this was with the AT Pro, so hopefully the e-trac will help.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

Bryanm362, wow, no one can say you didn't try Not sure about your specific locale, but when I think of my own area, and places that match those types of descriptions you give (old church, old park, athletic fields, etc...) the results for any beginner would be dismally the same. Because a lot of them have simply been hunted to frazzles. Not that the hardcore good hunter can't still get more oldies, but .... it's not going to be easy for a beginner to go in and find those whispers, in a sea of zinc, foil, etc.... Or things like church yards that have been re-landscaped and re-filled with new sod, etc... And even though the person at the church or the house or whatever might tell you "it's original", yet perhaps they simply don't know. Like, it could have been re-done 10 or 20 yrs. ago. The list is endless of reasons why a place doesn't produce. It might truly be that the person is just no proficient in their experience. Or it might be that the spot simply isn't good for such things. There's no way for anyone else to know, without going there and trying for themselves, and/or talking to old-time good hunters in that area.

I recall one park in my state, where we used to pull a lot of silver from there back in the 1970s, '80s, and into the '90s. But it's a few hours away, so I would tend to hunt it only when happen-chance travelling through that area. Still, to this day, whenever going through there, it's usually still good for another barber dime, early merc, IH, or whatever. But a few years ago, I was corresponding with a hunter in that area. I asked him if he'd hunted that park. He answered that yes he had. Quite extensively as a matter of fact. However, he'd only found clad (and perhaps 1 or 2 wheaties there) in all the years he'd lived there. He simply couldn't believe it when I told him of the stuff we used to find there, or the fact that I told him I could STILL find oldies there. Eventually, he and I met up. I showed him the ropes, flagged a few that "I'd chase". And before long, he was up and running. In a few hunts, he'd found more oldies there in that park than in his entire several years up-till-then hunting it. He just hadn't know, prior to that, the type signals to chase, strategies to use, etc... And it's NOT something that can be described for someone else in "printed text". Because no amount of reading printed text will or can ever convey to someone else "sounds". You simply have to see and hear. Thus is the reason I suggest to hook up with long-time good hunters. Ie.: the types that can routinely bring in the silver from worked out parks.

 

[BryanM362]

Bryanm362, wow, no one can say you didn't try Not sure about your specific locale, but when I think of my own area, and places that match those types of descriptions you give (old church, old park, athletic fields, etc...) the results for any beginner would be dismally the same. Because a lot of them have simply been hunted to frazzles. Not that the hardcore good hunter can't still get more oldies, but .... it's not going to be easy for a beginner to go in and find those whispers, in a sea of zinc, foil, etc.... Or things like church yards that have been re-landscaped and re-filled with new sod, etc... And even though the person at the church or the house or whatever might tell you "it's original", yet perhaps they simply don't know. Like, it could have been re-done 10 or 20 yrs. ago. The list is endless of reasons why a place doesn't produce. It might truly be that the person is just no proficient in their experience. Or it might be that the spot simply isn't good for such things. There's no way for anyone else to know, without going there and trying for themselves, and/or talking to old-time good hunters in that area.

I recall one park in my state, where we used to pull a lot of silver from there back in the 1970s, '80s, and into the '90s. But it's a few hours away, so I would tend to hunt it only when happen-chance travelling through that area. Still, to this day, whenever going through there, it's usually still good for another barber dime, early merc, IH, or whatever. But a few years ago, I was corresponding with a hunter in that area. I asked him if he'd hunted that park. He answered that yes he had. Quite extensively as a matter of fact. However, he'd only found clad (and perhaps 1 or 2 wheaties there) in all the years he'd lived there. He simply couldn't believe it when I told him of the stuff we used to find there, or the fact that I told him I could STILL find oldies there. Eventually, he and I met up. I showed him the ropes, flagged a few that "I'd chase". And before long, he was up and running. In a few hunts, he'd found more oldies there in that park than in his entire several years up-till-then hunting it. He just hadn't know, prior to that, the type signals to chase, strategies to use, etc... And it's NOT something that can be described for someone else in "printed text". Because no amount of reading printed text will or can ever convey to someone else "sounds". You simply have to see and hear. Thus is the reason I suggest to hook up with long-time good hunters. Ie.: the types that can routinely bring in the silver from worked out parks.

I would love to find a mentor, like you mention. Any suggestions on how to find one? Local club? Want ad (Wanted MD Guru?)

 

[Tom_in_CA]

Sure, if there's a club, that's naturally one way. Once there, after a few meetings, make mental note of who's truly bringing in the oldies to show & tell time. So as to differentiate the sandbox guys, or guys who just like to talk big, etc.... And if you don't see such types, ask for who's been hunting there the longest. Because even if those long-time hunters themselves are a non-aggressive hunters, yet they'll tend to know who used to hunt and find silver "in the old days". And then hunt down those people.

Or get ahold of dealers in your area. Not "catalog" dealers, but actual private individual who deal out of their home, or via a store, etc... And not "Big 5 sporting goods" type dealers, but actual hobbyist dealers dealing name-brands (especially minelab). And .... assuming they themselves have been dealing for a long-time, they will tend to know the long-time hunters in their area.

Or float the question on geographically specific forums. There's state-specific venues of T'net, but ... those tabs don't tend to get a lot of traffic. But some states have state or geographic specific forums, that are not connected to national forums. If you see a lot of input and traffic there, then float your question there.