Colonial hunt

[jude061]

After countless hours of research, I decided to hit the woods where a 1690s village had been. I read old newspapers and town records, checked maps and survey plans, and nailed where the 1715 parsonage was before it burned in the 1870s. I got up early and hit the woods, bush whacking my way through cat briars that were tougher than barb wire. I found my landmarks -- an ancient cemetery in the woods, curves in the road, and random piles of rocks. I scoured every depression in the land that might be a cellar hole. Four hours later, months of research paid off. Just kidding -- all I found was a bud light cap -- and a recent one at that.



And that was a surface find. Back to the books, folks.

 

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[jude061]

I did find $.21 on my porch though.

 

[Terry Soloman]

Been there. Done that. Bought the t-shirt!

 

[jude061]

At least they took the bottle home.

 

[trapperart]

All part of this crazy obsession

 

[david680]

Lol. I wouldn't give up that quick. Try it this winter when the grounds really wet and the vegetation's all gone.

 

[jude061]

I don't plan to give up -- I know it's in there somewhere. At least the trash is light.

 

[Scrappy]

I was BS-ing with my buddies a while back and one of them came up with good insight. Mapmakers, in all likeliness, wouldn't necessarily visit every site to verify its exact position. There's a strong case that many remote sites were estimated positions. I have found mapped positions and actual positions to vary greatly firsthand. The site is there in sure, you just need to keep looking. Study the topography more, look for water sources, and look around while you're there for where you might perhaps want to put a house.

Good luck man

 

[thrifty76now]

All I can say is ouch.

 

[Echoplex]

I was BS-ing with my buddies a while back and one of them came up with good insight. Mapmakers, in all likeliness, wouldn't necessarily visit every site to verify its exact position. There's a strong case that many remote sites were estimated positions. I have found mapped positions and actual positions to vary greatly firsthand. The site is there in sure, you just need to keep looking. Study the topography more, look for water sources, and look around while you're there for where you might perhaps want to put a house.

Good luck man

Great advice and so true! I can't believe how inaccurate some of the early USACE maps are too. I had the luxury of being able to compare them to some old aerial photography and could not believe how far off things were. In some cases buildings were over 50 yards off! That can easily be the difference between finding and not.

 

[jude061]

I can guarantee the maps I used were made by people who probably never visited the area. They were all made half a century later, and written descriptions are few, and more "artsy" than precise in their language.

 

[Dust Eater]

I feel your pain. Just had a similar hunt today.

 

[WildWildBill]

I think you would have found something there in the ground.....a rusty nail, crusty metal, an old copper, etc. I'd check and ensure your detector is working, or working correctly. Test it out to ensure it's working right, then go there again. Check the coil too. Even if folks have detected there or archeologists have been there you should be able to find something left over.

 

[Scrappy]

I think you would have found something there in the ground.....a rusty nail, crusty metal, an old copper, etc. I'd check and ensure your detector is working, or working correctly. Test it out to ensure it's working right, then go there again. Check the coil too. Even if folks have detected there or archeologists have been there you should be able to find something left over.

I've found after many old sites that each one is unique. Some are centuries old and spread out, and others are small with very little out of the immediate radius of the home. Nothing surprises me after being humbled many many times. Also age can change what iron is left.

 

[jude061]

My first thought was to check the detector -- it worked fine. I generally do a surface scan - there tends to be a lot of broken brick at sites here where the brick was repurposed. And nails abound. The absence of that cultural material makes me think I'm off the mark. As far as I've found, it's pretty neglected by archaeologists and historians, which is why I focused on it. I think I put too much faith in the maps, and was thwarted by the ground cover. I can survey a much larger area come winter and hit it in the spring when the ground thaws. I think some sites might be on the adjacent private property, so I need to spend some time getting permissions.