CEMETERY ETIQUETTE ??

[fastfingers]

What are the rules for MD'ing cemeteries? There's an old one down the street. The headstones are from the 1700's. I would love to get in there.

 

[rcawdor57]

Re: CEMETERY ETIQUETTE ?? Would I? Hmm....Maybe!

I have never MD'd a cemetary but I would IF and this is a big "IF" it were on private property AND is in an area out of sight of the public. I don't mean this to sound as if I am a grave robber but read what I have to say before you immediately condemn or agree with me: When I was a young pup in Alabama I grew up on a farm that had history dating back to the early 1800's. The property had four "Master" houses and several slave quarters when my grandfather purchased the property in the 30's or 40's. 376 acres of property in rural Alabama near Cheaha mountain. Now...on this property there are also graves of the plantation owners and the slaves from over a hundred and fifty years ago. These graves have collapsed into the ground and don't have the headstones as you normally see. We never disturbed the graves or filled them in and we probably should have filled them in but they were off in a grove of trees near the river, out of sight of the public and on land that we would never use for farming. Most had no headstones of any type and looked like 6 foot long trenches dug into the ground about two feet deep. The only reason I knew what they were is because my father told me when I asked. Now...if my family still owned this property I would certainly use my metal detector "around" the graves but NEVER IN THE GRAVES. I would never disturb anyone's grave but I certainly would detect around them. I know of several old graveyards that go back to the late 1700's that are in the middle of the woods with no real markers to say who they are that I certainly would detect in but like I said above I would never dig into anyone's grave. My two cents folks and please don't flame me for my thoughts.

 

[lucky1777]

What are the rules for MD'ing cemeteries? There's an old one down the street. The headstones are from the 1700's. I would love to get in there.

OMG what is wrong with society nowadays ,this is sick to even think about.
Now I am seeing alot of these questions and I cannot believe that some people would go into a sacred place like a cemetary and think of looking for goodies that others may have left behind for their loved ones.

I get tired of these same typical answers. A cemetery is no more sacred than a battle site, sunken ship or many other places where people have died. Just remember that there are most likely remains still in battle fields and sunken ships. But I guess if there isn't a stone saying there name, they do not deserve the same respect. If you have permission and do not hunt over graves then go for it. Also I could care less what someone thinks of me detecting there. Just as many people get pissed if you hunt a park, so maybe we should just hunt our own yards and no where else.....

Like I said before!!! You had better care what other people think about where you hunt or the only place you will have left to hunt IS your own yard. Plus, it is not just you that the public is precieving, it is all detectorist in the hobby.

Les

I have read many posts on this site saying how people were offended by people digging in parks and schools. If you were so worried about the perception of our hobby, you should be telling everyone to stay out of them also.

 

[BuckleBoy]

If you find an old cemetery, do some research and see if there might have been a church there at one time. You don't have to go into the cemetery.

I agree wholeheartedly! But if you go this route then make sure you stay out of the cemetery itself. To a passerby it will still probably look like you are in the cemetery, especially if the church building itself does not survive. Start as far away as you can and then work your way closer. An adjoining old church site will be much more lucrative than the cemetery anyhow. Hit the books!

If it is a cemetery on private land, and you have permission, go ahead, but dig carefully! In rocky soil, graves can be SHALLOW! I really have no earthly idea how one would ask a property owner this question and it come across right... I was granted permission to hunt a site that had some graves on it once, and I steered clear of them. You could tell where they were--depressions in the ground, and unmarked--so I hunted elsewhere. It was on an old "poor" farm in Virginia. I found 15 or so silver coins there. I kept some distance between myself and the graves, and didn't detect on top of them.

Buckleboy

 

[nc-joe]

When I first got permission to hunt the old Church, I stayed clear of the cemetery, worked the border, but stayed out of the actual yard. The care taker of the Church came by and told me to MD the cemetery to see if there was anything there. 80% of the people buried there are his family memebers. So I did. The only things I found IN the cemetery was the pocket change he lost cutting the grass, and some foil and wire from old flower decorations.

The second time I detected a cemetery, a co-worker asked I go the the old church location his grandfather was buried at. The gravestones date back to the late 1700's. He told me he lost a ring there a few years ago while visiting his grandfathers grave. So I met him there and searched for a couple hours, I only found 3 pull tabs, a few fake flower stems and a couple old broken pot metal funeral home signs.

Bottom line, people just don't seem to lose things in cemeteries. So I only go into cemeteries to get a feel on the age of a Church, because unless you are looking for gold teeth at 6 feet, you aren't going to find anything in a cemetery.

 

[diggerfororo]

What are the rules for MD'ing cemeteries? There's an old one down the street. The headstones are from the 1700's. I would love to get in there.

OMG what is wrong with society nowadays ,this is sick to even think about.
Now I am seeing alot of these questions and I cannot believe that some people would go into a sacred place like a cemetary and think of looking for goodies that others may have left behind for their loved ones.

I get tired of these same typical answers. A cemetery is no more sacred than a battle site, sunken ship or many other places where people have died. Just remember that there are most likely remains still in battle fields and sunken ships. But I guess if there isn't a stone saying there name, they do not deserve the same respect. If you have permission and do not hunt over graves then go for it. Also I could care less what someone thinks of me detecting there. Just as many people get pissed if you hunt a park, so maybe we should just hunt our own yards and no where else.....

Like I said before!!! You had better care what other people think about where you hunt or the only place you will have left to hunt IS your own yard. Plus, it is not just you that the public is precieving, it is all detectorist in the hobby.

Les

I have read many posts on this site saying how people were offended by people digging in parks and schools. If you were so worried about the perception of our hobby, you should be telling everyone to stay out of them also.

I really don't know how to reply, except to say that if you really don't know the difference than maybe you c
should take up knitting instead of metal detecting.

Les

 

[halfdime]

Not true.

 

[UnEarthed72]

Not to offend anyone but I feel questions like this aren't worthy of a comment either way.Like someone stated earlier....what do you expect to find there?......I just dont get these questions.

But i will say being a graduate from a NY college of funeral service,as well as having had a career in this field for several years(all aspects)of it from embalming to burials.It really bothers me that out of all the places,nooks and crannies on the face of the earth people have to look every now and then theres that one person that wants to hunt a cemetery.

If you gotta ask yourself: hhhmmmmmm theres grave stones and a fence around it!!..yet I'm dying to get in and detect(chances are it's wrong not to mention immoral)...don't worry you'll have your turn eventually

Secondly: the relatives of the deceased sometimes leave things on or around head stones that have meaning to them or their relative that's laid to rest...i.e.stones,coins,flags,notes/letters.Nick naks and so on(just because there may be an Indian head penny,some change,or flowers there should you take them because your a collector of those coins or because the flowers would look pretty on your dining room table)...the answer is...HELL NO...whats wrong with some people.

Lastly: I don't think it is a question of digging 6 inches or 6 ft. deep it's just not the right thing to do..regardless of religious beliefs,the idea of it being sacred or any other reason.Bottom line in hunting cemeteries could be detrimental to the metal detecting hobby,and we don't need to walk around with that black eye.

and i understand your a newbie(I'm relatively new to the hobby as well)but I've never walked past a single cemetery with an urge to wanna detect it what so ever,I'm sorry if I offended you or anyone else because that's not my intent.

just my opinion
~Shawn~

 

[les]

Think about it: Not a Soul in any Cemetery is there to care, it's the living that have a problem seeing anyone hunting in a Graveyard,will it make a difference 100 years from now?,I think not!,,anyway's,,all of you guys have my permission to hunt around my Grave when I kick the bucket, I don't care,I may even have my family to spead some old coins around my grave for you'all<G>. my soul will be long gone then, by the way the best coin Ive seen to come from a graveyard was a 1857 one dollar gold coin!! No I wasn't the one who found it.
Les

 

[spez401]

Hadn't seen this topic for a while, and was kinda hoping that it was long dead (pun intended)

regardless of anyone's personal beliefs, much of what we do in our lives (not specifically to mding) is judged on public perception. When anyone detects a cemetery, the public perception is that WE are grave robbers. Wheter you believe it is right or wrong, the perception it conveys is one that HURTS everyone in our community.

steve

 

[Skifisher]

Graveyards are for the living, not the dead. If it's several hundred years old and abandonded, then I guess no one would care. But people consider this sacred ground, I don't because of the dead, but the living. Respect that, there are too many other, and better, places to detect. Think if I were buried there and my daughter visited and left her ring or necklace near my head stone as a rememberance thing, that is something you don't mess with. If you came by and swung your coil over it, I would either reach up and grab your coil and pull you down with me, or drag chains through your attic the rest of your life.

And the many other reasons here.

Time to bury this thread.

 

[Tubecity]

One poster mentioned he hoped he didn't offend, I'm offended
anyone would consider hunting a graveyard for any reason. It's
a thing called respect, a final resting place. How greedy can one
get to pick over a place like this, you might as well mug an old
lady coming out of church, IMHO. We get enough bad publicity
from those who don't understand our sport. I wouldn't be caught
dead or alive swinging a detector in a graveyard. Call it HONOR.

 

[UnEarthed72]

One poster mentioned he hoped he didn't offend, I'm offended
anyone would consider hunting a graveyard for any reason. It's
a thing called respect, a final resting place. How greedy can one
get to pick over a place like this, you might as well mug an old
lady coming out of church, IMHO. We get enough bad publicity
from those who don't understand our sport. I wouldn't be caught
dead or alive swinging a detector in a graveyard. Call it HONOR.

that poster was me ..what i meant was that I hoped anyone reading it that saw nothing wrong in hunting a cemetery or even the original poster of the question didn't take my comment as derogatory and/or taking a shot at them in any way..Sometimes people reading comments may not see it from the writers point of view and its contents may be skewed

 

[lucky1777]

What are the rules for MD'ing cemeteries? There's an old one down the street. The headstones are from the 1700's. I would love to get in there.

OMG what is wrong with society nowadays ,this is sick to even think about.
Now I am seeing alot of these questions and I cannot believe that some people would go into a sacred place like a cemetary and think of looking for goodies that others may have left behind for their loved ones.

I get tired of these same typical answers. A cemetery is no more sacred than a battle site, sunken ship or many other places where people have died. Just remember that there are most likely remains still in battle fields and sunken ships. But I guess if there isn't a stone saying there name, they do not deserve the same respect. If you have permission and do not hunt over graves then go for it. Also I could care less what someone thinks of me detecting there. Just as many people get pissed if you hunt a park, so maybe we should just hunt our own yards and no where else.....

Like I said before!!! You had better care what other people think about where you hunt or the only place you will have left to hunt IS your own yard. Plus, it is not just you that the public is precieving, it is all detectorist in the hobby.

Les

I have read many posts on this site saying how people were offended by people digging in parks and schools. If you were so worried about the perception of our hobby, you should be telling everyone to stay out of them also.

I really don't know how to reply, except to say that if you really don't know the difference than maybe you c
should take up knitting instead of metal detecting.

Les

No, LES please explain the difference between a battle field, sunken ship, plane crash site and a cemetery. Please help me before I need to learn how to knit one pearl two. Don't give me the same old excuses about it being sacred, or a family carrying. I bet if you were to ask the families of fallen soldiers, sailors, or crash victims they would consider that ground sacred also. And to help you out, I NEVER ONCE SAID TO HUNT OVER A GRAVE. So before you come up with some other smart butt comment read everything I wrote.

 

[Tubecity]

Unearthed- just used that opening about the word offend. Wasn't directed at any person, just the whole idea in general. No intention
at all of taking a shot at anyone, sorry if you thought otherwise.
I only get slightly riled up in the political threads. LOL

 

[Jeffro]

No, LES please explain the difference between a battle field, sunken ship, plane crash site and a cemetery. Please help me before I need to learn how to knit one pearl two. Don't give me the same old excuses about it being sacred, or a family carrying. I bet if you were to ask the families of fallen soldiers, sailors, or crash victims they would consider that ground sacred also. And to help you out, I NEVER ONCE SAID TO HUNT OVER A GRAVE. So before you come up with some other smart butt comment read everything I wrote.

I really don't want to get drawn into this argument so I'll just put in my two cents and run away real quick like....


Difference between a battlefield, sunken ships, a plane crash site, and a cemetary is....

One has headstones sticking up all over the place. Its not so much the dead bodies as it is the public's perception.

Not many would look twice if you were detecting in a grassy field that used to be a battlefield.
Not many sightseers out on the open ocean as well.
Plane crash sites? Depends on where it crashed, I guess. How far out is it? Doubtful there'd be many headstones, anyways.


But detecting anywhere near headstones is gonna get you unwanted attention, I'll bet.


No matter where you detect, someone probably died there at some point. Thats no biggie. Heck, I just watched a kid get mowed down in traffic a couple weeks ago, I'd have no problem detecting the area where it happened, its right next to a store and probably loaded with coins.

But if someone puts up a marker there, you can bet someone will get bent out of shape if they see me there. Almost a guarantee in todays victim society. Someone will be offended!

Thats what I choose to avoid.

 

[UnEarthed72]

Unearthed- just used that opening about the word offend. Wasn't directed at any person, just the whole idea in general. No intention
at all of taking a shot at anyone, sorry if you thought otherwise.
I only get slightly riled up in the political threads. LOL

I know tubecity no offense(lol) taken here,i just wanted to explain the word offend in my post is all.

also politics and religion are two subjects that always can never seem to find common ground,and both sides of the fence can never just agree to disagree.

 

[bootybay]

very bad taste to detect there..and rather on the rude side as well...go on if u wish..but mind you... sleep with a light on...cause a few may follow ya home..... but you wont catch me diggin in no cemetery....its also called respect for the dead..what next diggin into the coffins...

 

[Mike Silver -gold]

I got the ok to hunt an old cemetory. It was real old,most of the dates were gone from the stones. Real creepy. Trust me I was told by those buryed there to get out and never come back. I never did or will I. Mike.

 

[Keppy]

Yes if you don't want trouble stay out of the grave yard