Assessing land to MD in developed areas

[PullinPlugs]

I have been doing alot of research on my home town and surrounding areas, in search of prime public land to MD on. I have a huge running list of historical locations in my area, and I have been noticing something both consistent and concerning, and I was hoping for some advice from people who have an eye for this sorta thing....

First off I am from the south shore of long island, ny... the are that I live in was first settled by the English and dutch in the 1640s. Some homes and structures still remain from this era, however most that are still standing were erected in the late 1700s to mid 1800s. The area was largely farm land, and wasn't developed in to a suburb until the 1940s-50s.

Many of the old sites, eg. Cemeteries, churches, an old grist mill all stand on land which appears slightly elevated from the lands developed around it. I have found public lands in very close proximity to the historic sites which I would think would be the best place to MD. I have detected several of these locations and have only found late Era coins, trash etc....

I feel as though the developers may have moved all the old soil to make way for roads and foundation and to out line the new property lines.

Was this common practice, and does anyone know the effects if the earth had been moved or shifted in those areas... I mean, I feel like even if the ground was moved the soils contents would still be there to be found, even if not in the location it was originally deposited... any feedback.

 

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[Johnnoh]

I've hunted 1940's era ball parks with coin finds that were way out of that date range - up to 220 years. I always figured they came in from fill from some older site.

 

[airscapes]

Nothing is as it was once you start developing..

 

[PullinPlugs]

Yea, that's what u was kind of figuring, and as for the ball park comment, I guess that raises the new question as to where all the fill went.... I have a hunch it went to build overpasses for the parkway system... the ground clines that are so abundant in my area are typically a minimum of 8 feet tall and more like 15 feet to street level, I would have to say... I'm going to get some Google map pics so you can see exactly what I talking about

 

[NEPADIGGER7]

sometimes you do get lucky and hit the dirt that was moved though!

 

[OWK]

Developed area are almost always graded and earth-scaped.

The general exception being land directly adjacent to rivers, streams, and creeks.

You can use this to your advantage (I have) if you want to hunt older, undisturbed locations.

And if you do your homework, you can identify early fords and crossings (which are usually rich in artifacts).

I am going to hunt precisely such a site this weekend... and it is right in the middle of a developed area.

 

[PullinPlugs]

Developed area are almost always graded and earth-scaped.

The general exception being land directly adjacent to rivers, streams, and creeks.

You can use this to your advantage (I have) if you want to hunt older, undisturbed locations.

And if you do your homework, you can identify early fords and crossings (which are usually rich in artifacts).

I am going to hunt precisely such a site this weekend... and it is right in the middle of a developed area.

Yea, the gristmill is suck a sit, the home that remains is in the other side of the road from a preserve, where the mill itself once stood on a man made creek off a natural pond. The terrain there too however appears altered, but non. The less I had given it a try, but only stayed a short time as I had brought my son with me who is only 4, and he wanted to go after 20 mins there.

I'll have to go back an check it out. I've been running in to heavy trash in these areas due to decades if not centuries of kids drinking and leaving their cans behind, I swear not a beer can drank in to see woods ever made it out!

 

[CaptEsteban]

In Florida, dirt has been moved back & forth between what they once called , " Borrow Pits , or Piles." SHAMEFULLY , Indian Mounds were used as these as well , before the state finally stepped in & stopped it. I know where several HUGE mounds were that are level ground right now.

 

[ZR2guy]

In Florida, dirt has been moved back & forth between what they once called , " Borrow Pits , or Piles." SHAMEFULLY , Indian Mounds were used as these as well , before the state finally stepped in & stopped it. I know where several HUGE mounds were that are level ground right now.

Funny story about Indian Mounds. I live near a river valley where there are Indian Mounds. The Miami Indians were all over this area in great numbers at one time. Arrowheads are abundant. I have found them when digging targets. While detecting, I have had people come up and ask about finding arrowheads, forgetting that they are not metal. I tell them that I have a setting for arrowheads on my machine even though it is a "metal" detector, stressing on the word metal. At first they say "wow, it can find arrowheads too" then the light bulb goes off and they either laugh or get embarrassed and laugh.

 

[Carpdogman]

We do have metal arrowheads although they are rare in the area which I live. The Apaches and Commanches used metal bands from wooden barrels and crates to make arrowheads. Nice display of them in the National Forest Office at Truth or Consequences New Mexico.

 

[flgliderpilot]

So far for me here in FL it's been the opposite... the high ground is all fill dirt covered with fresh sod. Basically if I see nice manicured Saint Augustine grass, I know it's going to be nothing but can slaw under the sod. I recently detected a whole park which was nice sod. I dug so much GARBAGE under the grass, I know exactly where this "fill dirt" came from.. the dump.

The best grassy areas to detect here are old dried up unmolested lots of natural grass... the lower the better.

 

[PullinPlugs]

Yea by me it's a little strange, one of the main roads which has been there, literally since the 1690s is now paved and situated about 8-12 inches lower than the surrounding land, including the curb. All of the old houses whether on the road or not have one thing in common, a retaining wall, an the house is purched up at ground level set by the retaiNing wall.