Are old cemetarys a good place to go?

SteveDodds · Nov 22, 2009

I recently finished mding an old cemetary and I am starting on another one. These are both old places with a lot of the old limestone headstones. The problem is I haven't found anything other than one wheat penny from 1958. Am I wasting my time with these places? Has anybody ever found anything at old cemetarys? Do you think it is immoral to hunt these cemetarys?

Montana Jim · Nov 22, 2009

SteveDodds · Nov 22, 2009

wtf? How come the bowl of popcorn never runs out?

stefen · Nov 22, 2009

Cementary hunting is verboten

Montana Jim · Nov 22, 2009

This post dedicated to Sherm.

Iron Patch · Nov 22, 2009

I'm glad to see you found what you deserved. :thumbsup:

.....however, I don't mean that necessarily in the way that you might think. My personal opinion about graveyards, and coming from someone that will also be dead too .... someday, is.. If someone enjoyed themself throwing a party and dancing on my grave I hope they have a blast, I would have no problem with anyone hanging out around my grave site. Now that being said, there are many MANY people who don't think this way and it is STUPID to detect such a place because you will really tick them off... and on top of that, and probably just as good of a reason to stay away is... They suck to detect!!! ...and now you know, find another site, this time among the living who actually lose things. :wink:

PS... Anything you find there you never really know how it ended up in the ground. Would you really want some type of trinket that had been left there for someone? I wouldn't be too afraid of a ghost coming to get it back, but I don't need detecting finds that bad.

Sandman · Nov 22, 2009

To detect a cemetary is very disrespectful. Others seeing any of us there detecting would view us like grave robbers. Just don't do it!!!

mlayers · Nov 22, 2009

I don't think you should detect around the head stone and over the grave. If you are in the road and along the path should be OK.......Matt

lafatlife · Nov 22, 2009

I tend to agree with Matt. If you do the roads that shouldn't be a problem. I do have a problem around the stones because technically that is private property and permission was not granted.

rjw4law · Nov 22, 2009

I use to know someone that detected the cemetery ...Not me...

how u do n · Nov 22, 2009

Never ever ever hunt a cemetery ever.!!

Now here is an an example why.

You mom passes away and after the funeral you take
a very small gold heart that she used to wear all the time.
You place it just under the surface and to the right side of her grave
so,that she will always be able to have it with her.

Then 2 years later while going to visit you see some guy with
a metal detector on the right side of her grave with "the gold heart"
in his hands.

Now, What would you do??

Remember never ever ever ever search in the graveyards ever!!!!!

coinmaster2db · Nov 22, 2009

BAD MOJO! I've got a spot I want to hunt where an old church once stood. All that remains is the cemetery. Even though I'd never ever ever hunt the cemetery, I'm afraid to hunt the area between the cemetery and the road, because I don't want anyone to think I'm digging in the cemetery. This cemetery is near a lot of sites I want to hunt. The last thing I need is to be turned down to hunt a field because they saw me digging in a graveyard.
Go to your local library :read2:

, and do some research on your area. Get permission to hunt fields if nothing else. Look at the lay of the land. Ask yourself "If I were going to build a house on this property, where would I put it?" :icon_scratch:

Then hunt it. You might not find anything, but you might luck into an old house site, and you won't be diggin' up Grandpa. :laughing7:

HH!
Cm2db

artzstuff1 · Nov 23, 2009

Everybody must have scared the HELL out of that guy!!! :laughing9:

ivan salis · Nov 23, 2009

in a word --no no no --and hell no -- the hobby as a whole does not need the public thinking of us as a bunch of graveyard robbing ghouls ---for petes sake we're not archaeologist * after all ===*(grave robbers == with a fancy name)

TORRERO · Nov 23, 2009

I believe this is a personal preference, If you have permission from the Pastor or person or persons
responsible for this place and they are OK with it, and you personally are not bothered by it, then
its nobody Else's business if you do this. (although I would not announce this as a banner on line)
I have in the past walked around some cemeteries, with permission, I did not dig over the graves
but there is a great deal of open grass between areas to hunt, I did not find much... I believe...
because someone beat me to it...

(there are a lot of people here who have gone before you who will not confess it here)

But I believe this is really between you and your God and the people who maintain the place.
Around the outside of the fence (is there is one) is a good place, as this is where the buggies
were parked I've gotten some Barber dimes in these places, but not much inside the gate...

TORRERO · Nov 23, 2009

I also wonder what this group thinks about metal detecting in a field that has
Indian remains.
Like an Indian burial mound, where you know there are hundreds of people buried....
would it bother you then ? Or is this OK, because they are not "White" Americans.
and their graves are in open fields not marked by normal means.

When I was a boy, I used to hunt arrowheads in a field in Arkansas, across the Mississippi River.
We got permission through my mothers friend who owned a farm there...
These people told me the story of when they bought the property and there was an Indian mound
there, and they began farming the land.
And what they said was this...

"The first time we ran a plow through the mound it litterally covered the ground all around in white."
"Over the years of farming the mound has been plowed down to the point where it is now level
with the surrounding ground, but it was a sight to see the first time we plowed it."

The farm was about 1/4 mile from the river and they had trout lines they ran for fish.
But they said you could still find arrowheads in the field, where the mound used to be...
I almost wanted to believe it was sacrilegious, to have done that... but it was before my time
Just wondering...

ivan salis · Nov 23, 2009

I avoid known burial sites period -- be they white or indian --I have the blood of both running in my veins and respect the burial places of both equally -- now a villiage or living / near by creek area you bet I'll look for arrowheads or trinkets --but dig into a burail mound no way jose. -- look at a villages "garbage pits" are one thing but burail mounds a whole differant matter.

lafatlife · Nov 23, 2009

Any burial places for me are off limits. I don't see a problem with the roads or as the case in our cemetery, they have a pond where on memorial day Miss Columbia goes across it on a row boat throwing flowers into the water. There are no graves in the area it is just a peaceful place. On the other side up by my grandparents graves is another pond that people fish in.

I personally feel that digging near the graves is just as bad as digging in someones yard without permission. It is just not right. And that goes for anyone being buried be they African American, White, Asian, Native American or whatever nationality.

The decision is up to you but remember people bought and paid for those plots and therefore own them. Without permission, it is just not right.

Hendrix · Nov 23, 2009

I don't think it is proper to detect within the cemetery. However, if a church is next door to the cemetery, I would assume that would be ok at the church but not in the cemetery itself.

Curious The George · Nov 23, 2009

I think I am going to put in my will that my coffin is to have a bunch of pull tabs, both kinds, crazy glued to the outside top of it. That should drive any cemetery MDer nuts.