church hunting

[bourassa5]

ive got promission to search a church that has been running for over 200 years what is the best way to hunt a church and where are the best places aroudn the church, thanks for any info given.

 

[johnnycat]

I hunted the grounds of our old church a few years back and found 4 pennies. That's it. I guess it would tend to matter what kind of activities and how many were held over the year's.

 

[bradgny]

Churches are a very good spot to hunt .One that is 200 years old is even better .more than likely it has been hit already but all those years of sundays and all the weddings and church socials mean all sorts of goodies .I have found that around the entrances is a great place to start
Good luck

 

[Ray S ECenFL]

Sounds like there is a lot of potential to that site. You would have to consider what activities went on on the property. Did outdoor events take place? Where? Were there large numbers of people in any one area of the property? The parking area for horses, cars etc... is always a good spot if it has not been paved over.

The areas around the entrances should be a good place to look. Did the church have any kind of fairs?

You did not mention how big the property was so I have to make an educated guess on activities. Fairs, picnics, outdoor services etc are all possible activities to draw large numbers of people and people lose things.

Happy Hunting and keep us updated on your finds.

Ray S

 

[bourassa5]

ok thanks and what have people found in the past at churchs, let me no what you all of found

 

[hollowpointred]

talk to some of the older members of the church and find out where they held the outdoor functions such as dinners, fairs, prayer groups, etc. thats where the good stuff will be.

 

[watercolor]

What a great opportunity!

Aside from traditional worship, church's are known to be a gathering place
for many OTHER activities that provided an opportunity for rural folk to get together
and socialize.

My best advice, as others have mentioned, is to pick the brains to the OLDEST members
of the church. . . you will be amazed at what they remember. . . and may have lost

Best of luck!
watercolor

 

[Shortstack]

Check for nearby creeks or an old pond that was used for baptisms. Talking with old church members is good, but also check out the written church records. They will tell of activities the church was involved in. Example: Church homecomings with dinner-on-the-ground. Many churches also fielded softball teams for inter-church games. These were usually held in a nearby field. (for country churches).

Good luck

 

[jeff of pa]

if there is a Corner stone which most do have

& there is a Grassy area around it hunt there also.

Most church organizations had a Big Ta-Do over

building & even Replacing a Church

which means most of the congrigation
showed up to do what congrigations do

as mentiond above the nearest water source
was also used by kids & Picnikers.

Churches are like other sites.

Coins, Jewelry, Buttons & of course
Religous Doohickies & Trinkets
like Crosses Etc. are the usual type finds.

 

[mrjosh]

I would look in areas that have shade trees. Years ago alot of churches would have dinner on the grounds. Also check areas where horse and buggys may have been tied.

 

[N.J.THer]

ive got promission to search a church that has been running for over 200 years what is the best way to hunt a church and where are the best places aroudn the church, thanks for any info given.

I would start in the poor boxes then move into the altar area...only kidding.

You already received some great tips.

Focus on entrance and exit walk ways to the church. If there is a graveyard I would check the pathways..this is a touchy subject but in the areas where there are not actual graves I see no issue with detecting. Definately talk to the old timers in the church...You can always find a few that have been attending the church since they were children and they usually love to tell you the history. You just have to listen. Most old churches had outdoor gathering so find out if they were held on the church property or else where. Could lead you to a second site to detect.

Good Luck

NJ

 

[Kevin Bozard]

I have trouble getting permission to hunt church grounds. Here in the south, those in charge see the grounds as "holy grounds", and they feel that I shouldn't be digging in a church yard. I was recently denied permission to hunt the grounds of the old Sheldon Church ruins which was built between 1745 and 1755. Another reason was because many of the graves at the site are marked, but it is believed that there are others in the wooded area immediately surrounding the ruins that may not be marked.

 

[hollowpointred]

I have trouble getting permission to hunt church grounds. Here in the south, those in charge see the grounds as "holy grounds", and they feel that I shouldn't be digging in a church yard. I was recently denied permission to hunt the grounds of the old Sheldon Church ruins which was built between 1745 and 1755. Another reason was because many of the graves at the site are marked, but it is believed that there are others in the wooded area immediately surrounding the ruins that may not be marked.

good lord those ruins are gorgeous! they should restore that place!

 

[Shortstack]

Just remembered another thing. Look for the old outhouse locations. A church that's 200 years old had to have had those.

 

[lou423]

I have detected a few churches, but the findings have been slim...
On one occasion a man accused me of stealing from the church...
I told him that God would rather have the coins I could find put to good use rather than leave them in the ground forever.

 

[mpostma]

I have trouble getting permission to hunt church grounds. Here in the south, those in charge see the grounds as "holy grounds", and they feel that I shouldn't be digging in a church yard. I was recently denied permission to hunt the grounds of the old Sheldon Church ruins which was built between 1745 and 1755. Another reason was because many of the graves at the site are marked, but it is believed that there are others in the wooded area immediately surrounding the ruins that may not be marked.

Hey, try this. When asking leave off the Ozzy T-shirt, or ACDC and change into a non-beer label hat.
LOL,
Mark

 

[pookie-princess of rust]

i've been thinking of asking permission to hunt on the grounds of a church in my area... there is a carnival there one weekend every summer. might dig up some goodies...

 

[DJ_Quinn]

One of the best areas I hunted in terms of finding lots of old coins was the field between a church and school. If there is no school, I would look for footpaths between the church and rectory or other buildings connected to the church. Good luck.

 

[bakergeol]

I have hunted several hundred churches in the old days - before folks caught on.
Found my first gold coin in a church parking lot.
The advise given above is good as coins were found all over a church area.

The best area was always around the front steps leading into the church. I figured a lot of kids lost
their small donations tripping over the steps This also was commonly the meeting area for the preacher welcoming
his members to church.

These days I figure all churches have been detected- Who is still alive or around when I detected a particular church
45 years ago? If truely a virgin site you will know it. But no one gets it all.

I would remove ALL IRON(dig all signals) around the steps and directly around that area. After removing all
iron. Detect again and dig everything.You are looking for coins which have been masked by iron which other detectorists have missed.

Good luck
George