Before that great find comes information and permission!!!!

[Cubfan64]

Ok, so I haven't found anything yet to post pictures of, but I'm so excited I had to share this "find" with people who understand the potential significance of it!!

I spoke with the site manager where I work over lunch today to find out what she could tell me about the history of the company's property. I knew from some old maps that there was a trolley line that ran nearby as well as several old homesites which may have been on the current property.

I got a history lesson today that included:

1. Finding out that our company owns over 100 of the surrounding acres - much of which is wooded.

2. Pictures of one of the oldest homes in the local town which happened to have been on the company's property and for reasons I won't go into now, was dismantled and moved about 8 years ago (the home was built in the 1700's and was part of a farm containing apple orchards.

3. The exact location where that home was which is still on privately owned company property.

4. The location of the trolley line which ran perpendicular to the now abandoned RR tracks - both of which crisscrossed much of the company property.

5. The location of two "shack" homes which were torn down but the foundations still exist - both on company property.

6. Aerial pictures from a number of years to indicate where structures were

7. Locations of the many stone "walls" built up throughout the property.

And finally - PERMISSION to come out here anytime I want with my metal detector and search!!!!!

I have a feeling my entire spring, summer and fall weekends are already planned out - and probably some in the next few years as well - 100+ acres is ALOT to search :-).

I can't wait to get out and start finding things to take pictures of and post here!!

 

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[Gypsy Heart]

Great research...hunt that house they moved first ,then the other foundations....Looking forward to your finds!

 

[Jeffro]

Nice, real nice. Here's hoping you find lots o' loot! Keep us posted-

 

[rockers6]

cubsfan64 , Nice company perk! That should be a great area to hunt. Good Luck

 

[Mighty AP]

So..........we'll all just meet you at the site this weekend? I think Cub fans should get to hunt the prime spots, dont you agree? lol Congrats on the "find" & let us know how you do!
Go Cubs!

 

[Mirage]

Just curious as to what kind of detector you have. Some of the good stuff might be deep. Good luck. Even with a cheapie detector you should have some nice finds to post.

Mirage

 

[lohi]

How many of your new found friends can you take with you did you say LOL HH keep us posted lohi

 

[Jerxs]

Sounds awesome!!! Can't wait to see your finds.
_________________________________________________

 

[bookfisher]

Wow, what a great, giant site. I'm excited for you. First time in, I would randomly scout all over the area, and look for those older strong signals of 4 and 5 inches (unless of course it's strong coin signal at a shallower depth) to see what kind of age your dealing with. After I've done the random search a few times, then I would really concentrate in one area at a time. Good luck and keep us informed. There's got to be good stuff there.

 

[Mona Lisa]

Cubfan, you're going to be busy this summer. It sounds like the research was already done for you...you just had to find it. You can't beat that.


I'm a Cubs fan, too...can I come?

 

[Ricky1601 aka pull tab king]

Way to go, and congradulations on taking the time to go about it the right way, now with that said go grab the detector and get us some pictures......... HH and looking forward to seeing your finds.

 

[willie d]

100 acres! sounds promising, make sure you take a compass or at least some bread crumbs Trust me, I got lost for a little while on 40 acres when I ventured off of a trail. Good Luck.

 

[TimmyNY]

sounds like a great place. any trolley stations on that line?

Tim

 

[Bavaria Mike]

Outstanding! Good luck and HH, Mike

 

[Cubfan64]

Thanks for the replys, encouragement and suggestions!

First off, I have a Fisher CZ20 metal detector - certainly not ideal since it's primarily a water based detector, but it's what I have - I got it a couple years ago at a really good price from someone I know who just wasn't using it anymore so until I can save up enough money to get something else, it's what I have to work with.

I spent about an hour over lunch yesterday wandering around in parts of the wooded area and have come to a few conclusions:

1. I'd guess 10-20% of the area is marshy/soggy with lots and lots of briar bushes - we've had a pretty decent amount of rain this spring so far so some of the wet spots are a result of that, but the briar bushes and other marsh grasses look like they've established themselves there.

2. There's going to be LOTS of scrap metal/junk back in there. I came across numerous rusted out pails, cans, assorted car parts etc... - most of which had bullet holes in it from someone practicing their aim.

3. A compass definitely will come in handy - although I can't get lost in there as it's residential all around the hundred acres, a compass will really help me relocate spots as I come across them. There are so many stone walls/fences running in different directions out there that it's easy to confuse one with another and they make good landmarks.

4. The area where the trolley line came through is very distinguishable and can be followed all the way to the end of the woods - I need to hit the library and find out when it ran through. I'm sure there were trolley stations, but I don't think any were on this property.

5. The old building that was dismantled and barn that was torn down were located in a clearing very easy to see. I believe that's where I'm going to start, but am concerned that since it was indeed torn down and dismantled, there's going to be a whole lot of nails and other scrap to sort through. I'm really torn as to whether I want to dig every sound knowing that 95%+ will likely be crap, or use discrimination and risk losing out on something really good. I'll probably start in all metal mode and see how it goes and how much patience I have.

6. I got a strong reminder to be prepared when going into wooded areas when I came out and discovered no less than a dozen ticks crawling all over me. I did a "complete" search when I got back to the office and found a couple more, but none got started feeding (at least I haven't found any yet :-P). It reminds me also that I better watch out for things like bees nests, poison ivy etc...

I may start hunting the old home site this Sunday since I have to come in to work for 3-4 hours anyway. If I find anything interesting, I'll certainly put up some pictures. If nothing else, I'll take a few pics of the site, the old trolley line area etc... Looks like it might be a bit more work than I expected at the start - here's hoping it's worth it!!!