Private Property

[TexasDigger1]

Recently I found an old house from around the early 1900s' which was empty and overgrown with grass and weeds. Did a search on the appraisal district site and found who owned the property. The owner had passed so I contacted the daughter who lives in California, we had a chat and told her what I was after. She told me that her dad had lost his WWII dogtags in the yard and if I found them she would like to have them, of course I said yes. Then she told me her dad had willed the property to The Salvation Army which was based in Dallas, Tx. I contacted the person in charge and explained what had taken place. I also said that if given permission I would clean up the place, cut the grass/weeds and removed all the debris. She said it would be brought up at the next board meeting. She sent ma an email yesterday and said the board members had denied my request. I replied that was fine but that the board members needed to get the place cleaned up or the city would do it for them and charge them. I don't know what it would of hurt to hunt this old run down place and maybe return a set of old dogtags to the man's daughter. Some of my friends say to just go in there, cut the grass and hunt but I am not one for trespassing, not worth the embarrassment. Thanks for letting me vent some. I am also one of those guys like many of you that always puts money in the Salvation Army's kettle when they are standing outside WalMart. HH John

 

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[TexasDigger1]

Thanks for the advice Spooky, it's just that I believe there are people out there that are needy and sometimes need a little help even just to eat, that's why I put a couple of $ in the kettle. HH

 

[Tim L]

I hate to say it, but I would do the same thing. NEVER again would I put money in their kettle (as I do EVERY year), AND I'd write/call back telling them so. I'd also say something to the daughter too, out of respect for her and her late father. It's beyond comprehension they would refuse metal detecting, not to mention your generous offer of cleaning up, on a property DONATED to them by the man whose daughter who had basically given permission. That's just unbelievable.

 

[Tin Nugget]

That's a shame. They obviously don't care about the place and have no plans for it. I am not sure that I would not have just gone ahead and done it after talking to the daughter. Not sure, but I may have.

 

[gleaner1]

The Sally Ann is just concerned about liability. That's really all there is to it.

 

[warsawdaddy]

I agree with gleaner1.They're scared of a lawsuit if someone gets hurt.

I also agree that I will not and do not contribute to the Salvation army.In 1950/51 when KC flooded so badly,they let us out of high school to pack sandbags.The Salvation Army was there and SOLD coffee to the people who were flooded out,they did not say sorry here have a free cup,they sold it or you didn't get it.I and many others were flabergasted!No,I will not donate anything to them.I might be willing to sell them something.I'll also add that in 1958 when my mother passed,they were 3 days late getting the telegram to me.I was in the Air Force in Maine and I drove non-stop to KC and arrived 2hrs before the funeral.They had received the telegram on Friday and I was notified on Monday afternoon.End of rant.

 

[Tim L]

It's fairly obvious it's a liability issue, doesn't make it any easier to take though.

Salvation Army - Red Cross...same story, neither is really what you'd expect.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

How much you wanna make a bet, that if you had just gone to the abandoned house, cut the lawn (so it's short enough to detect) and detected, that those same supposed "board members" would probably not have even given you a second thought.

 

[Gunny71]

But, I think the problem with asking a BOARD or ANY organization is they HAVE to say no because of liability.

And therin lies the downfall of a great nation, doomed because the people have forgotton that just living is a risk. All because no one takes responsibility for themselves.

 

[mrs.oroblanco]

The Salvation Army is a great organization - Red Cross - crap.

I think you did the right thing - maybe the granddaughter could put in a word or two for you?
And maybe you could write them a notorized letter of release, in case something happened?

I don't believe some people's thoughts though - for want of swinging an md, you'd stop contributing - not to the Salvation Army - but to all those people that they help.

No wonder we get a bad name.

B

 

[Tim L]

The Salvation Army is a great organization - Red Cross - crap.

I don't believe some people's thoughts though - for want of swinging an md, you'd stop contributing - not to the Salvation Army - but to all those people that they help.

No wonder we get a bad name.

B

While I agree with your assessment of the Red Cross, we greatly differ about the Salvation Army. People see each organization quite differently.

When we donated money to the Red Cross, earmarked for Katrina relief, then to our horror we found out less than 40% of all donations *specifically* for Katrina went to New Orleans. There are similar stories about SA...i.e. selling coffee noted above.

(edit: toned down)

 

[mrs.oroblanco]

I'm confused - Katrina money WOULD be going to New Orleans, wouldn't it?

Coming from an entire family of vets, WW1 to WW2 to Korea, to Vietnam - there is not one soldier that has been in my family that would give you one cent for the Red Cross, but they ALL love the Salvation Army.

I have heard many "war stories", my dad in particular, who would turn over in his grave if I gave a dime to the Red Cross - who, on the beaches of Normandy, (after the invasion, of course, not during), when they were guarding the beach, that the Red Cross chose to sell donuts and coffee to the soldiers who had not slept in days. (and took back the blankets when they left - ones that had been draped over dead soldiers before the
body brigade picked them up).

Sorry for the gross, grim description - and maybe this post will get pulled - but that is the truth of the matter.

Either way - private is private is private. You want control over it? Buy it. (this is the same thing I say to the environmentalists who want to take public land from us). Unfortunately, they do buy it.

B

 

[deepskyal]

Liability.....geeze...you might step on a nail while trespassing and sue them.

So how far is their office from the site

A couple years ago I attempted to get permission from Norfolk and Southern (Nofokinway) to weedwack and detect an area which is steeped in colonial history and was the site of a ghost town that just up and disappeared. I pushed heavily on the historic nature of my desries, never mentioned detecting, mainly "explority searching"....(like that term)

You can guess the answer I got. And to boot...after asking...suprisingly...a brand new pad lock on a newly repaired gate was installed so I could no longer drive down to the site....not saying I hadn't been there several times already. It's just a short walk down from the gate...lol

Will I attempt to detect the area, which is in the middle of nowhere, that trains slowly pass by once or twice a day, that hundreds of others frequently walk thru, hikers, fishermen, partiers,..... unhasseled?

You can guess my answer to that too....

Im not a huge advocate of trespass...but some things are just totally absurd.

Al

 

[mrs.oroblanco]

A railroad, and its bed on either side is not owned by an individual, so, if someone were to walk up the railroad tracks, it would be a different story.

However - trespassing - especially if we get caught, is death to the rest of us. (bad, bad Karma), and then do you wonder why people do not want to give permission?

B

 

[Shortstack]

The reason you did not get permission to hunt that old house site is purely litigation related. You can thank the ambulance chasing lawyers for that, NOT the SA.

The Salvation Army is the only place I will donate to, except for St. Jude's who get something every month. When I was in Vietnam, the Red Cross Donut Dollies were SELLING coffee and stale donuts on the flightline, during the day and something else at night in "Officers' country". Those gals got rich and you can bet you a---- none of it went to the R.C.

Before I went to Vietnam, I was stationed at Luke AFB, AZ when one of my Grandmothers died. The Red Cross FINALLY got confirmation of her death, then sat around debating whether of not to grant me an emergency loan for a plane ticket. I was an Airman 2 striper at the time. In other words, BROKE. I went over to the Air Force Aid Society's office and had a roundtrip plane ticket and $50 cash in 30 minutes. In the 1990s, I had a lady friend in Oklahoma City who told me about how the Red Cross required signed receipts for blankets right after a really BAD tornado and later came around to collect the blankets OR payment.

One year, I read in the newspaper where the Red Cross had brought in about $32 million in the sale of blood plasma that previous year. After that, I will not donate blood to them. If you want to donate blood, go to a hospital and donate blood in the name of a specific patient.

 

[mrs.oroblanco]

I think I've said it before, but the Red Cross actually took the blankets from dead service individuals in Normandy, after the soldiers were put in body bags - if that is not disgusting - nothing is.

My dad was there - and it was something he never forgot. He (and the rest of the soldiers who came in after the invasion) were disgusted at the selling of coffee and donuts, but, to him, that blanket thing took the cake - and something he remembered and talked about until the day he died.

B