Arial photograph help - 1930's arial added

[Kevo_DFX]

Hi there folks,

I have been searching for an old school that no longer exists on a property I have permission to hunt. I went out with my metal detector for about 4 hours in the general area I know the school to have once stood. I could not find the typical field of metal that I am used to when finding these sites. Now looking at some arials, I think I may have been off by about a football field.

For those of you that are experienced in looking at arial images, do you think the squarish area referenced in the below picture is what I am looking for?



Thanks for looking,

Kevo

[jeff of pa]

Could Be if it was standing
till recently.

I Believe the site would
be Less Visible if torn down Long ago.
as What looks Like a Road leading to the Field should
go straight Through. Looks like a Pile of Dirt
to me

have you Tried penn pilot ?

http://www.pennpilot.psu.edu/

if it was still standing in the 30's
you should be able to
see it on the 30's ariel

then follow it's
position through the 50's and 70's ariels to the present


plus maybe even get a recent birds eye view
of the surroundings.

[Mackaydon]

Since it was a school, it may have been platted on a town or county map. Have you tried the town's and country's Planning Departments archived maps? How about asking the historian for that area-- and the librarian at the reference desk of the local library. Have you called the school district and asked for someone who might have knowledge of the old school? If the school had a name, did you Google it; or Google the history of the town?
Good hunting,
Don.......

[ThTx]

I would go to the county tax office if I couldn't find any older folks who could take me there. The tax office should have plats from way back. A little research should pay off.

A

[jeff of pa]

if its in your county and there in 1867

it should be on the map


http://usgwarchives.net/maps/pa/county/westmo/1867/

[Mackaydon]

If your school site is in the county of Westmoreland, try their Historical Society
www.starofthewest.org - (724) 836-1800

[Kevo_DFX]

I have the map! That's what makes my inability to find any metal in the ground save modern bullets so frustrating!

Here is a larger arial of the area:


Here is the school on a map from 1902 (with topos):


Here is a modern topo map:


Lol, you see why I'm so perplexed. I should be able to find the thing within a few minutes?
Kevo

[Mackaydon]

With my (poor) sense of DR, I'd place your school in the straight treeline at the 3-4 o'clock position from your 'brown' spot. You might ask the resident in that house if he knows about the school.
BTW, is that the symbol for a school or a church, or both?

[jeff of pa]

IF Your Talking about Where the
Cross is & It's not a Cemetery

I Would Check Here

Looks more like Church or Cemetery Mark

[Kevo_DFX]

Both. Which was a cause for great confusion for me. I had three other "churches" on other properties that I went looking for. In one case, the property is a historically protected church. The other two the owners new about the school and were confused about why I was clling it a church.

[Mackaydon]

Thanks, Jeff, within your circle is exactly where I'd look.

[jeff of pa]

That isn't a Cemetery Just Below My Circle is it ?

[Kevo_DFX]

And that's exactly where I spent like 4 hours! How weird is that? Even if I didn't find ANY coins, buttons, or jewelry, you'd think a nail would pop up.

Nothing but modern rifle bullets, a shell casing or two, and shotgun ends.

The school, however, is drawn nowhere close to scale. I know it was a school beause the landowner told me there was one on his property, he just didn't know where it was.

I was thinking because these maps are inexact it may be closer to that chunk of woods, which I didn't check.

[jeff of pa]

I'd Check the 30's Pen Pilot Ariel.
If it's on & You compared it to
a Present Areal
you could nail it down.

[Kevo_DFX]

Not a cemetery, an orchard and garden.

Jeff, I will check Penn Pilot. Thanks!

[Kevo_DFX]

Well here you guys go. I don't know what the heck I'm supposed to be looking for. Maybe the blackish area I have the arrow pointing to?



Thanks again
Kevo

[auferret]

You may be able to find it with Google Earth. There are historic topo overlays for most of the northeast.
http://www.gelib.com/new-england-topographic-maps.htm

[Montana Jim]

After trying to match the topos to the aerials - I agree you should be trying down by where Jeff put the red arrow in that last post to find the plotted church.

[jeff of pa]

Kev did the Red Arrow

[gldhntr]

if you ignore the roads {they move} and instead try locating it via the topography {don't move so much except in cities}, my thoughts, and exactly where i would go first, would be just above the ''1200'' marked on the modern topo...it matches near perfect as the spot on the older 1902 map.......