3 Foundations and 1 Blacksmith shop dating to 1870s PICTURES ADDED

[MAINE HILLS HUNTER]

3 Foundations and 1 Blacksmith shop dating to 1870's PICTURES ADDED

Finally got out to a location that I have been researching for some time now. Found the foundations and the Blacksmith shop easily. Also found a bottle dump too!

Pulled a couple of things out of the dump from the surface, don't think I had the right tools to dig it.

At the blacksmith location I found some neat Iron relics and at the foundations I found a copper cup that is stamped from Italy, A square nail, and some more Iron things. NOT A SINGLE COIN!

I will post some pictures of the site and of the finds in a new post when I can. I am on vacation and forgot my cord to hook up my camera.

HELP ME THOUGH! I am driving myself crazy though because I know that there is so much cool stuff in the ground at this site but I don't feel like I was able to find it. I didn't find a single coin which I though was really odd!

The brush was really dense and I could not swing the detector very well so I had to put it in no motion all metal pin point mode. So I ended up digging everything which is why I dug so much Iron.

ANY SUGGESTIONS?

 

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[Leon]

Re: 3 Foundations and 1 Blacksmith shop dating to 1870's

Sounds like a great site, can't wait to see the pics.
Only suggestion I could give ya is to run on full discriminate to help with all the trash. If it's a coin, it should give a good signal, but it will be much softer than some of the iron signal that will probably still come through... but, it could also be a big old silver dollar just below the surface... Ya just never no until ya dig.
Good luck, & Happy hunting~

 

[The Seeker]

Re: 3 Foundations and 1 Blacksmith shop dating to 1870's

If you feel there is acoin their somewhere...I would try sifting around the door way area and back if you can pinpoint where the rear of the home was.....if you start finding pottery and other items which you not picking up with the detector( pieces of spoons,forks, lead and so on) you might find acoin in the trash.....Good Luck.... 8)

 

[Gypsy Heart]

Re: 3 Foundations and 1 Blacksmith shop dating to 1870's

Sounds like a good spot...try each corner of the foundation.....if its pretty overgrown that makes it a little rough with roots and brush...pick out the biggest oldest trees and try to scan around them...if you cant swing...and are basically hunting on hands and knees...shorten your rod so its easier to go through the overgrown stuff...Blacksmiths were great for placing their money in iron boxes...look inside ...near fireplace if the had one...I have worked foundations where I dug junk for two or three days before I started hitting anything thing worth keeping! Good Luck and if you need help..holler!

 

[doyboy]

Re: 3 Foundations and 1 Blacksmith shop dating to 1870's

I would "plan an attack" on these foundations. Survey the area and try and visualize what it may have looked like back in the day. Yes, I would start to hunt around the sides of the foundations, but take into consideration that not many people hung out near the side of their homes. I would base my hunt about 15 yards off the foundations and work inward. The little children would be playing everywhere, so anywhere is fair game. Remember to listen for those faint signals. Are you sure it is virgin? If so, there are coins there, just stay patient and you will find some nice coins. HH, Doyboy

 

[comfyinvermont]

Re: 3 Foundations and 1 Blacksmith shop dating to 1870's

Hey Iowa, Sounds like a great spot. This would be a good place for a small 3inch or 5 inch coil. Lance

 

[mchamby]

Re: 3 Foundations and 1 Blacksmith shop dating to 1870's

I wouldn't give up, just keep at it and you will eventually get past the iron and find good stuff.
Mchamby

 

[civilman1]

Re: 3 Foundations and 1 Blacksmith shop dating to 1870's

Combine all these suggestion's in your own way,something's gotta give.Good luck and HH!!

 

[MAINE HILLS HUNTER]

Re: 3 Foundations and 1 Blacksmith shop dating to 1870's PICTURES ADDED

Thanks for all of your replies. I will adapt some of the suggestion when I get to go back out there. Probably next month! I only get up here about once a month or every other month.

OK...for a little more history! The area with the 3 foundations and the blacksmith shop are just a small portion of what used to be a town. Actually it is 3 Ghost towns within a 2 mile radius but back to the current site. The town was (as far as I can tell) platted in the 1850's. The oldest plat map I could find was from 1879 which is how I found the foundations. The town officially "died" in the 1950's. According to the plat map I found there should be approximately 10-20 different lots which contained houses and businesses. I just have not had time to look for the evidence.

It was wierd standing there in the middle of the woods on what clearly used to be the southern 3rd of Brook St according to my old map. I could clearly see where 2 entry ways were to the plats that contained 2 of the foundations. I walked through the entry way of the 2nd lot, past the remains of the foundation, through what used to be the yard (very densly covered with thorny growth and I would guess 50 year old trees) to what used to be West St. Just on the other side of West St. is where I found the 3rd foundation which was not on my map.

The whole entire day while I was detecting, digging, and generally having a great time I could not stop thinking about who used to live here? And Why did the town die? And what happened to the neighboring towns? All 3 towns had post offices listed. The one I was digging in had PO until right up to when the town died. The town just to the west had a PO from 1870ish to 1920ish and the town to the north had a post office for the entire year of 1853 (an old man in the area said that this one used to be a pony express stop that his grandfather used to work at). Oddly enough the PO area is the only area to this northern town that is not under water right now (they built a lake there in the 60's).

Here are the maps I used. I will post actual pictures of the site on this post on Thursday when I get home. I will post pictures of my finds in a separate post because It seems that I can only have 6 pictures on this post.

 

[Southcacalaky]

Re: 3 Foundations and 1 Blacksmith shop dating to 1870's PICTURES ADDED

You will eventually find some coins, I'm sure, Just work your area methodically, HH Art...

 

[trk5capt]

Re: 3 Foundations and 1 Blacksmith shop dating to 1870's PICTURES ADDED

You will eventually find some coins, I'm sure, Just work your area methodically, HH Art...

IOWA, Sounds Like An Interesting Site, Keep Digging. trk5capt...

 

[Noodle]

Re: 3 Foundations and 1 Blacksmith shop dating to 1870's PICTURES ADDED

Very interesting site. Would it be possible that the towns were vacated due to the damming of a waterway that created the lake? That happened in several places when some of the larger dams were going in back in the mid-1900s. Graves were moved, and most buildings were dismantled and the debris hauled away. Water came up and no more towns. That sounds very possible with your site, especially since all that remain are foundations, plus you say that one town was mostly underwater. Just a guess.

Noodle

 

[MAINE HILLS HUNTER]

Re: 3 Foundations and 1 Blacksmith shop dating to 1870's PICTURES ADDED

Very interesting site. Would it be possible that the towns were vacated due to the damming of a waterway that created the lake? That happened in several places when some of the larger dams were going in back in the mid-1900s. Graves were moved, and most buildings were dismantled and the debris hauled away. Water came up and no more towns. That sounds very possible with your site, especially since all that remain are foundations, plus you say that one town was mostly underwater. Just a guess.

Noodle

That is a possibility, seems very practical for the town to the north, but the town I was digging in still has 2 houses, the church, and the cemetery. But that might explain the lack of coins and other light objects and the over abundance of iron relics. I will have to go track down the old guy again next time I am up here.

 

[diggemall]

Re: 3 Foundations and 1 Blacksmith shop dating to 1870's PICTURES ADDED

Iowa - without a doubt, I'd be targeting that "Public Square" Where people gather............

 

[MAINE HILLS HUNTER]

Re: 3 Foundations and 1 Blacksmith shop dating to 1870's PICTURES ADDED

Iowa - without a doubt, I'd be targeting that "Public Square" Where people gather............

Oddley enough I tried but I could not get permission (the church is still there and operational) however if I ever see somebody there I will ask them.

 

[southbound]

Re: 3 Foundations and 1 Blacksmith shop dating to 1870's PICTURES ADDED

Good luck and go slow.
vern