Cellar hole questions

[Toby1858]

When you first start detecting a new cellar hole site, and there is absolutly no evidence of where the house, or drive used to be (above ground) do you use iron pacthes to determine the placement of things? Or( if you can tell wich side of the cellar hole was the intrance) was there a standard placement of homes around cellars? And was there ever a somewhat of a standard placement of how homes should be built? (NWSE) or is it all random?!!!!

 

[Swartzie]

Iron patches will work. The places I have hunted usually have a large patch where the house was and smaller patches where sheds and other small buildings were. But, these have been places that have had a cellar hole. The one place that I hunted that did not have a cellar hole was in a field and there really was not much of an iron patch. So, I don't know if the house was dismantled or what and then the hole filled in. I knew the house was there because it was on an old map and there was pottery and crockery pieces laying around.

I don't know if you can tell which way a house was situated. I have heard that houses used to be built with the front facing the east to catch the morning light for heat. One cellar hole I have hunted has two large pine trees in the front yard. I think it was fairly common for a newly married couple to plant two trees in the front of their new home.

-Swartzie

 

[Toby1858]

Thanks Swartzie! Not just for detecting reasons, but to know how things were situated when the grounds were inhabitated, is intrigueing. O.K. then, about detecting, if you only had one day to detect an old cellar hole would you stay on top of the really thick iron signals or would you stay a little outside the signals where they are spaced a little apart? Just want to make the best use of my hunting time, I mean over time I would cover the whole area as good as possible!

 

[Swartzie]

Working in the iron takes a lot of time. I would search outside of it. Hopefully you can get back there often. For me it usually takes a few visits to find a decent spot to focus on.
-Swartzie

 

[Toby1858]

I have only one cellar hole I can detect any time. I have numerous times over the past couple years. But just recently I discovered that, for me, cellar hole = no discrimination to be able to find anything decent. What was some what discouaging is that the only coin I have found there so far(1897 V) just happened to pop up with a fist sized chunk of iron I dug! What I have noticed, detecting a few old lots here in town,is that the many wheats I have dug,and only in no disc., I have managed to pick up due to the high and low tones back and forth over the target. I use a 5.3 coil with my M6 and wonder if upgrading detectors and or coils would help lock on to coins that are in thick metal?

 

[Swartzie]

I think any machine would have problems picking coins out of thick iron patches just because of the masking the iron does. Most the stuff I have pulled up in thick iron patches have been either very near the surface or a larger target. The best thing for working a cellar hole is patience and persistence. I have worked the same cellar hole off and on since Spring. Pounded the heck out of the spots that were producing then gradually starting working further out on the property. I have only found 4 coins from the 1800's, but plenty of buttons (buttons are nice too). Today I found a 1/2 cent from the late 1700's, but that's after having a few weeks of a dry spell: http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,370102.0.html So, I know there are still more goodies out there and now it's just a matter of pounding the heck out of the area of my recent find, which is actually a couple hundred feet from the cellar hole.

-Swartzie