Cemetery hunting?

72cheyenne · Feb 4, 2009

Ok, this may have been discussed somewhere before, I just haven't seen it. What are peoples thoughts on hunting cemeteries. Not actual digging graves, just hunting for lost articles. Part of me thinks it may be taboo, not so much for the fact of it being a cemetery, but for the fact of people with loved ones buried there thinking it is disrespectful. Has anybody ever hunted one? If so, was it in public view? How did you go about obtaining permission? Is there laws against it? Anyhow, discussion welcome.

Thanks,
72

Kentucky Kache · Feb 4, 2009

You'll find a mixed response to that question here, but I think the nays have it.
Personally, I don't think I'd feel right doing it.

DigginThePast · Feb 4, 2009

72cheyenne said:
Part of me thinks it may be taboo................thinking it is disrespectful

My .02

72cheyenne · Feb 4, 2009

Cache Crazy said:
You'll find a mixed response to that question here, but I think the nays have it.
Personally, I don't think I'd feel right doing it.

I don't think I would either. Question was brought to me. Kinda mulled it around in my head. Wanted to see what the general thought was on it.

Siegfried Schlagrule · Feb 4, 2009

Even greedy people would not want to do it if it caused every public
place to be posted off limits to treasure hunters. Every member of the
city council has relatives buried in cemeteries. What do you think their
impression would be if they saw someone hunting inside a cemetery
and digging up things? Their first reaction would be to call the police.
If they were told there is no law against it - they would put in a law
against it at the next city council meeting. If they confronted the person
and got a load of attitude their retaliation could easily make treasure
hunting illegal except on private property with written permission of
the land owner.
Yes, I do know what Charles Garrett had to say about the topic and
that is just one of the things i disagree with him about. siegfried schlagrule

Zincoln Miner · Feb 4, 2009

I have detected the pathways leading to old family plots in the middle of the woods.I will not go in grave yards
and will not detect around them in the open public.

respect the living and the dead.

I never found anything (besides junk) except an oil co token on these pathways anyway.

72cheyenne · Feb 4, 2009

Siegfried Schlagrule said:
Even greedy people would not want to do it if it caused every public place to be posted off limits to treasure hunters. Every member of the city council has relatives buried in cemeteries. What do you think their impression would be if they saw someone hunting inside a cemetery and digging up things? Their first reaction would be to call the police. If they were told there is no law against it - they would put in a law against it at the next city council meeting. If they confronted the person and got a load of attitude their retaliation could easily make treasure hunting illegal except on private property with written permission of the land owner.
Yes, I do know what Charles Garrett had to say about the topic and that is just one of the things i disagree with him about. siegfried schlagrule

Good point. Definately would want to cause anymore harm to the hobby.

72cheyenne · Feb 4, 2009

solx nys said:
I have detected the pathways leading to old family plots in the middle of the woods.I will not go in grave yards
and will not detect around them in the open public.

Actually I knew of a couple of guys that did some research on an old tavern/stagecoach stop, that just happened nowadays to be on fenced cemetery property, not where graves were though. They hunted the site and found a small cache of gold and silver coins. I don't know if they had a suspicion of a cache or was just relic hunting.

sasnz · Feb 4, 2009

Seriously why would you want too

I dont think that i would ever entertain the thought as it is a respect thing. I dont see any problem m'ding outside the cemetary boundary but to search between the graves just dont seem right to me and i would say to the larger amount of people. Here is a pic for example. In the foreground yes i would detect but in the back ground no way.

SHERMANVILLE ILLINOIS · Feb 4, 2009

72cheyenne,
if you need a few more opinions :wink:

ArkieGold · Feb 4, 2009

It was me who asked 72c if he ever thought of MD'ing the cemetary the other day. We drive by the same one every day, well, actually drive through as it's the only one in the US with a US Highway running right through the middle of it. There are actually buried people under the highway and they only relocated some of the stones. Honestly I have thought about it but I have also thought about doing a lot of things I never ended up doing or will likely never do. My dad, grandparents, aunts and uncles are resting there as are many of 72c's family. Yes it's tempting but like so many other temptations I will never do it. So to get my mind off it I started researching old swimming holes.

Noodle · Feb 4, 2009

72cheyenne said:
Ok, this may have been discussed somewhere before, I just haven't seen it. What are peoples thoughts on hunting cemeteries. Not actual digging graves, just hunting for lost articles. Part of me thinks it may be taboo, not so much for the fact of it being a cemetery, but for the fact of people with loved ones buried there thinking it is disrespectful. Has anybody ever hunted one? If so, was it in public view? How did you go about obtaining permission? Is there laws against it? Anyhow, discussion welcome.

Thanks,
72

72,
Without digging into all those past posts, bottom line is (based upon past t-net input) is:

1. Cemeteries are off limits.
2. Cemeteries are off limits because folks are buried there.
3. When someone is buried in a cemetery, a loved one sometimes comes along and places a beloved piece of memorabelia on the grave. You, I, nor anyone else wants to disturb that, even if it is 100 years later. Doesn't matter if it's valuable (100 years ago, they had no valuables, really); you have to honor whatever they left, even if it's a marble or cheap ring, which was probably all they had. Bottom line, it's a burial site. Respect it and leave it alone.
4. It's a cemetery ... a graveyard ... a place where people leave their families and remembrances of those folks.
5. Go somewhere else to detect. Leave the cemetery alone.

Noodle

72cheyenne · Feb 4, 2009

Well I do appreciate all the input. Shermanville, thanks for all the previous discussion links. I haven't become a charter member yet so i don't have that quick search ability to find the previous threads (will be signing up charter soon). I don't want anyone to get the wrong impression of me or Arkiegold for that matter. It was just a thought. Arkie was right, I do have family buried in the cemetery in question, and when you get down to the nuts and bolts, I wouldn't detect around my own families grave and wouldn't appreciate it if someone else did. Therefore how could anyone else appreciate someone detecting around their families grave. Maybe I was silly to ask, or maybe I was expecting somebody to say "go do it by all means, there's nothing wrong with it." Who knows why we think some of the things we do. I promise you I didn't ask this question on Tnet to stir the pot or piss people off. I really enjoy Tnet (been lurking for years, posted first only days ago). It is a valuable resource full of information and good people that are all more than willing to help. Kudos to the webmaster and the mods. I know to all you Tnet veterans you probably think, oh boy here we go again, but there are newbies everyday with the same questions that you all have to give the same answers too. Thanks for that in case no one has ever told you so. To all the newbies, listen to the veterans. They may seem intimidating at times with hints of sarcasm and gruffness (is that a word?), but they share because they want to inform and promote the hobby in good light for generations to come. Happy Hunting Tnet, spring is right around the corner (supposed to be 70 in western Arkansas Saturday.....YES!)

sasnz · Feb 5, 2009

well said 72

olepossum · Feb 5, 2009

hey you razor backs tttttttttttthhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhppppppppppppppp it is colder than a witchs nose mole in febuary up here in north west missouri will the coldness ever end ggggggggoodddddddd i hope so later folks

Montana Jim · Feb 5, 2009

SHERMANVILLE ILLINOIS said:
72cheyenne,
if you need a few more opinions

http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,61363.0.html
http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,64213.0.html
http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,71897.0.html
http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,52824.0.html
http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,35096.0.html
http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,52327.0.html
http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,6911.0.html
http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,70182.0.html
http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,89783.0.html
http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php?topic=92594.0;topicseen
http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php?topic=61363.0;topicseen
http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,122835.0.html
http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,142739.0.html
http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php?topic=142739.msg1026367;topicseen#msg1026367
http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php?topic=145539.msg1043734;topicseen
http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php?topic=150564.msg1084239;topicseen#msg1084239
http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,153840.msg1109896.html#new
http://forum.treasure net.com/index.php/topic,156207.0.html
http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,209535.0.html

have a good un..
SHERMANVILLE

LOL... I wondered if you were still keeping track! :thumbsup:

jeff of pa · Feb 5, 2009

Montana Jim said:
SHERMANVILLE ILLINOIS said:

72cheyenne,
if you need a few more opinions

http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,61363.0.html
http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,64213.0.html
http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,71897.0.html
http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,52824.0.html
http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,35096.0.html
http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,52327.0.html
http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,6911.0.html
http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,70182.0.html
http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,89783.0.html
http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php?topic=92594.0;topicseen
http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php?topic=61363.0;topicseen
http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,122835.0.html
http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,142739.0.html
http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php?topic=142739.msg1026367;topicseen#msg1026367
http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php?topic=145539.msg1043734;topicseen
http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php?topic=150564.msg1084239;topicseen#msg1084239
http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,153840.msg1109896.html#new
http://forum.treasure net.com/index.php/topic,156207.0.html
http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,209535.0.html

have a good un..
SHERMANVILLE

Click to expand...

LOL... I wondered if you were still keeping track!

Me Too

I was Waiting

XL-PRO PRO · Feb 5, 2009

I felt the same way concerning dis-respect for the dead.I have searched pathways leading to and open areas near old cemetaries,reasoning these areas contained little trash and most finds would be older.While scanning a tva website,I was appalled at the thousands of graves that still remain under tva lakes!Even though they offered to relocate these gravesites, if requested ,only 10% or so were re-interred.Consider also all of the unmarked graves of native americans and others that occupied this country for thousands of years before we got here.Anywhere you dig is a potential cemetary!Just a thought,DBULL

Goodyguy · Feb 5, 2009

72,
Without digging into all those past posts, bottom line is (based upon past t-net input) is:

1. Cemeteries are off limits.
2. Cemeteries are off limits because folks are buried there.
3. When someone is buried in a cemetery, a loved one sometimes comes along and places a beloved piece of memorabelia on the grave. You, I, nor anyone else wants to disturb that, even if it is 100 years later. Doesn't matter if it's valuable (100 years ago, they had no valuables, really); you have to honor whatever they left, even if it's a marble or cheap ring, which was probably all they had. Bottom line, it's a burial site. Respect it and leave it alone.
4. It's a cemetery ... a graveyard ... a place where people leave their families and remembrances of those folks.
5. Go somewhere else to detect. Leave the cemetery alone.

Noodle

Now If we could just get the worst grave robbers of all, the Archies to believe that! :wink: