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| Feature | Vol. 34 - Aug. 2000 |
Have You Heard The Latest Dirt?
By Carol Schick
 Lenny Cooper's share of silver from the site included these dimes- a Seated Liberty surrounded by Barbers. |
Have you heard the latest? Well do I ever have some dirt for you- actually, piles and piles of dirt! No, this story doesn't contain any hot gossip. Instead, it's intended to take you along on a treasure-filled journey back to the mid 1800s!
 "Gimme a 'V'!" How about three? Lenny got his nickel's worth and then some. |
To unravel the mystery of the treasures discovered within those piles of dirt, we must time-travel to the summer of 1854, when the Rev. D.J. Weller is known to have conducted several tent camp meetings that lasted for days and drew hundreds of folks. These open-air religious meetings were held on three acres of land on what later became Seventh Street in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania.
On December 18, 1873, the town on Bloomsburg purchased these same three acres from Rev. Weller for $2,000. The intention at the time was to construct a fancy public park on this site for all to enjoy. As the years passed, instead of building a public park, the community leased the land. Several circuses were held there, and the location also served as a ballfield and popular picnic site.
 When it comes to finding jewelry, Lenny also has his charms... and here are a couple of them! |
In the spring of 1915, a town historian wrote the following letter to the town commissioners:
"Forty-one years has passed since these three acres were purchased, and it is no nearer being a public park than the day it was bought. There are great possibilities for a beautiful public resort here, and it is hoped that the next town historian will be able to record that the original purpose for which this purchase was made has been realized!"
 "Obsessed Detectorist" Carol Schick asks no quarter...but she'll gladly take one if it turns up under her searchcoil, especially if it's an 1895 Barber. |
As we look ahead another four score years or so, we find that excavation has begun on this site for the construction of a new YMCA. As the town workmen placed the extra topsoil in a vacant lot near the edge of town, the treasure hunt began! After gaining permission to search these piles of dirt, Lenny Cooper and several members of the Susquehanna Valley Metal Detecting Club set about making the most of a unique opportunity.
 Even some of the newer coins were silver, as evidenced by these dimes and quarters located by Lenny. |
In the fall of 1998, Lenny invited me and fellow club member Carol Reibsome to join him in a search of these dirt piles. Lenny said that the town was in the process of constructing a new township building, and workmen were continually removing truckloads of topsoil from the piles, revealing more coins deep with the dirt. So, a chilly October day found Carol and me searching for our first share of treasure from this extraordinary area that we had heard so much about.
 Four little Indians... Cents such as these may not be rare, but Carol relishes every recovery! |
As I began swinging my Spectrum XLT, I heard Carol telling me that she had found a quarter. Since it was covered with dirt, she first thought that it was a clad quarter, but after closer inspection she saw she was holding a lovely 1906 Barber coin. Wow! She could hardly believe her luck! And to top it off, just minutes later, she recovered a 1908 Barber quarter! These two finds alone had made her day, since she hadn't found a silver coin in a long time.
 Can you dig it? Carol Reibsome scans the sides of one of the dirt piles which proved so productive for the Pennsylvania searchers. |
Not to be outdone, I continued hunting in the area where a dirt pile had been removed. A solid hit, a sudden flash, and seconds later in my hand was an 1895 Barber quarter in choice condition- a coin lost more than 100 years ago!
As I continued my search on the dirt piles, I quickly received yet another "quarter" signal, but in fact this time I was rewarded with a 1928 Mercury dime. Later finds that day included two Indian Head cents, an 1889 and a 1906, and a 1925 Buffalo nickel.
 On one hunt, Carol bagged her first elephant- a little silver G.O.P. political pachyderm pin. Next to it is another unexpected discovery, a 1922 British silver threepence. |
The next day Lenny and I met early at the dirt piles for another day of searching. I was already looking forward to the search ahead, but when Lenny showed me an 1887 Seated Liberty dime that he had found a few days earlier, my enthusiasm kicked into overdrive.
Once we began swinging our detectors, it was Lenny who would claim the most coins, among them a number of Barber dimes and a Barber quarter. Still, I didn't do too badly, for I was able to locate a 1922 British silver threepence, an 1880 Indian Head cent, and a 1945 Washington silver quarter.
 Lenny Cooper knows a good site when he sees one, and how to work it, too. He also knows something that many TH'ers tend to forget... how to share his good fortune with others. |
A few weeks passed before my detector and I were able to return to the dirt piles. As I began my search, it was with dreams of claiming a few more of its hidden treasures... and claim them we did! For starters, I found an elephant. No, not a pink one! Actually, it was a little silver GOP elephant-shaped political campaign pin. Next, my machine locked onto an 1896 Indian Head cent and a 1925 Mercury dime.
I remember quite well the day that my husband Joe accompanied me while searching these dirt piles. He somehow recovered a near-perfect 1852 silver 3¢ piece from a spot where I had hunted several times without getting a single signal! And to top it off, this was his first time swinging a detector. Beginner's luck!
 Call it beginner's luck if you like, but Carol's husband Joe made his detecting debut by finding an 1852 silver 3¢ piece (left). The 1919 Mercury dime is Carol's (ahem!) consolation prize. |
I'd like to say a big "Thank you!" to Lenny Cooper for sharing this amazing site with so many of us. Lenny, friends like you are truly a treasure!
There's no greater thrill than that of touching the past, and what an experience it was to learn more about the history of this Pennsylvania town through the hundreds of coins and relics that we had the privilege of recovering!
CAROL SCHICK, a self-described "Obsessed Detectorist," is the new FMDAC Mid-Atlantic Chapter president, and secretary of the Susquehanna Valley Metal Detecting Club.
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