OLD home site finds and advice needed!

[TrpnBils]

I got permission today for a home site where the original house is still standing. It was built in 1800 and saw some Civil War action. The legend is the residents at the time stood on their porch and watched the soldiers march by. The house is vacant now most of the time but used on the weekends sometimes so I can only go during the week. I went for an hour tonight and found this 3 ringer in the yard along with what is assumed to be a back to an old drawer pull.

I haven't done a site like this before and want to maximize the potential for my time there. Given the following features, where and/or how would you hunt it?

Old home has a porch on the front about 2ft off the ground but has been redone not too long ago
Medium sized yard edged with trees (1/2 acre 'yard' surrounded by 150 acres of field.
Down the hill is an old spring, now grown in with cat tails (allegedly old watering trough for livestock there)
Pond about 1/4 mile away with mowed path past the spring to it. Not sure if pond is natural or how old it is

 

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[G.A.P.metal]

I`d do the yards first, then i`d do the yards again...then work my way to the well and the close line, and the outhouse...while at the mailbox i`d check along the road the soldiers walked down...then i`d spread out to the barn,and close by fields.
Gary

 

[Flathead25]

Ditto on the old clothes line. I got tired of digging coins and junk jewelry that I'm assuming fell out of clohing hung up at my house. Too bad it was built in the early 60's....

 

[TrpnBils]

No idea where a clothesline was.....should I just try between nearby trees or what? I would think that would shade the clothes and not be as effective but how else could I figure out where that might have been?

 

[releventchair]

A lot were on backside of house,10 yards out for a wild guess to start. With a load of wet clothes convenience a factor, but a low traffic area away from stirred up dust and dirty hands ect. seemed to trump front door access.

 

[G.A.P.metal]

Look for old hooks on the house or in old trees to hang the line....and if i had an AP-PRO when i got hot in the sun i`d just jump in that old farm pond and detect there and cool off.
Back at the house the well is most likely straight out one of the doors they did not like to carry the heavy buckets far...outhouse is down hill from the well..look for Lielock Bushes.
Gary

 

[Argentium]

I think Gary pretty much nailed it - hunt it all !! then hunt it all again !!!

 

[Flathead25]

I guess at a house that old, it would be harder to find. I located the two iron poles still in the ground at my house where it used to run and then followed the line. But like you said, it could have been between trees or wooden posts long gone. Also could be multiple generations at the house too. I think gridding the yard with string and keeping track of what and where you find stuff might be worth it too, that is, if you have the patience and time. Good luck! Sounds like a cool spot.

 

[TrpnBils]

I notched out iron, foil, and tabs today.... Not real junky without all that gone but still hit on iron. It's certainly a relatively easy site to hunt but not sure how much I will be able to do there without running out my welcome! The lady that owns it lives just back the road and she said to come out whenever but you never know! Digging the nicest plugs I can manage just in case!

 

[TNGUNS]

On a really good one that age I grid hunt it. Find your hot areas fist with a wide grid and hit them first. You never know when something could happen that interferes with hitting the whole thing. I know it gets aggravating but dig the iffy stuff and don't discriminate too high. If troops were in the area they had one major necessity that you mentioned. Water. Hit the spring and all gentle sloping areas near it that would look appropriate for a camp. Good luck.

 

[Goldiver]

The spring could have great potential, I would definately be checking that area out. Folks passing through would likely water the horses there or camp as mentioned. Any spots with a water supply and dry ground near a road are good spots to check out especially if troops regularly passed through there.

Steve

 

[Mach1Pilot]

Looks like a great start, Jeff! The other guys gave you key areas to hit... but focus on the water first. Both the spring and if there is a well would be prime spots for activity.

Your little brass piece looks interesting, someone might be able to ID it here...

 

[muddpuppy]

I have found the front yard to be the best on these older homes. I believe children were much safer without the fear on traffic and strangers so they would spend there time there. I know it works for me!

Much Luck and KEEP SWINGING.

 

[Ifoundit69]

Some helpful advice , on the F5 dont notch anything period ...no discrimination means more depth ,dig everything that sounds deep at first and the reason for this is each site is different as the soil as well plus you can tell the difference in sound from a shallow signal and a deep one ,I cant tell you how many times I thought iron opened the hole, dug a little and bam a nice bullet ..As a example please watch for my post tommorrow morning and you will see what im talking about ! As for reading the site dont worry about a cloths line ,,, pockets on clean cloths are empty me personally I head for the large tree's ones with age , depression where large tree's used to be . Put yourself in the 1800's on a hot day where would you be in a hot house or under a nice shade tree sipping a cool drink ? Now after you have covered the large tree's find the path from the horse and buggy to the house , then move on to the field as with plowing year after year behind a horse and plow people loss things .... so that should get you a good start on the site

 

[TrpnBils]

Some helpful advice , on the F5 dont notch anything period ...no discrimination means more depth ,dig everything that sounds deep at first and the reason for this is each site is different as the soil as well plus you can tell the difference in sound from a shallow signal and a deep one ,I cant tell you how many times I thought iron opened the hole, dug a little and bam a nice bullet ..As a example please watch for my post tommorrow morning and you will see what im talking about ! As for reading the site dont worry about a cloths line ,,, pockets on clean cloths are empty me personally I head for the large tree's ones with age , depression where large tree's used to be . Put yourself in the 1800's on a hot day where would you be in a hot house or under a nice shade tree sipping a cool drink ? Now after you have covered the large tree's find the path from the horse and buggy to the house , then move on to the field as with plowing year after year behind a horse and plow people loss things .... so that should get you a good start on the site

i don't know if I can get away with going totally clean here. I had a hell of a time even finding a couple square feet clean enough to ground balance on. My thought process was to cherry pick for awhile just to see what I could get in a short time. Maybe I could super clean a small area and see what kind of depth I get with no discrimination.

 

[G.A.P.metal]

If you got the sub 5"dd coil i`d put that on in the real trashy areas.
Gary

 

[TrpnBils]

Nope just the stock coil

 

[sobeitunion]

Id be searching under the porch. Old porches collect all kinds of things under them throughout the years. If its tight it could be worth it even if you could only go under with your propointer.