Finds from old foundation site over the weekend..

[Birky]

So my little trip to KY last weekend turned out to be a lot of work and a bit of a disappointment..but I still had a great time!

Some family friends recently purchased 150 acres and mentioned that there were a couple old foundations and other potentially good spots on the property so a couple friends and I decided to head down and have a go at it. We weren't really given much information and I had little time to research so we were going into it pretty much blindfolded..just the way I like it

After being pointed in the general direction of one of the sites we headed off down what we were told was an old logging road, but looked more like a wide path through the woods. After about an hour of searching we stumbled upon it...


My first thoughts were "where's the rest of it?" though I was still pretty excited about it's potential..
Only a corner was left standing and just on the inside of that corner was a hole about 4ft deep that contained some old iron junk and some of the stones from the structure..the whole area was pretty grown over and so we spent the next hour or so clearing it all away..


As we were clearing the area we started detecting and found some old bottles, and misc Iron objects (many which I couldn't identify) as well as some old implements I suspected were used by those who cut the road/path leading to the site..


We continued searching the area surrounding the site and located a well about 20yds away from the foundation.


I finally got a really solid hit that I was sure was a coin..but nope..only a cracker jack token from the 1930's?


We searched the site for about 10 solid hours and at the end of the day/night had little to show for it.. I'm clueless as to what some of these items are/were and any feedback would be appreciated!


That night on the way back we dropped down into a dry creek bed (which yielded more junk) and located a cave..what better way to end a day right?


I was extremely surprised that we found no coinage and am honestly still puzzled by it, but I suppose when you don't have money to lose..you just don't..

Now I have to decide if it's worth making the trip back down to continue searching..

What do you guys think?

Is the well worth exploring if possible?

Thanks for reading folks!
HH
Chris

 

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[Wildcat1750]

Cool site and definitely worth hitting again. The well is definitely worth exploring if it can be done safely.

 

[watercolor]

The well might be worth exploring. . . if it can be done safely.
You might want to lower a powerful magnet on a rope into the well
and see what you snag. That would be a start.

Now, the cave. That may be the sleeper of your site. Time to start digging & sifting
for flint, glass, bone fragment artifacts.

HH

 

[Erik in NJ]

Your find #5 is a whizzer, I believe--not sure if it's on an old worn coin...looks like it. The bulldog is very cool, I don't know how big it is. I found a button like that once! Woods hunting is not my forte--I tend to shy away from it.

 

[vpnavy]

Nice finds, nice pictures but no way you would ever get me down that hole Birky.

 

[Klclark3]

Do you mind if I ask how far away from Louisville you were? and coming from a kentucky folk, theres not much to find here

 

[John_Deere]

Looks like a good spot to me! Congrats and HH!

 

[I Dig Jesus]

I would bring a lap top and a usb lighted scope for the well. worth a peek.

 

[Birky]

The well might be worth exploring. . . if it can be done safely.
You might want to lower a powerful magnet on a rope into the well
and see what you snag. That would be a start.

Now, the cave. That may be the sleeper of your site. Time to start digging & sifting
for flint, glass, bone fragment artifacts.

HH

Ya know, a couple days after I got home I was thinking about how to get at that well and the "magnet on a rope" Idea also popped into my noggin

I've never hunted a cave before but I sure did want to, we just ran out of time. There's 2 other known caves on the property and I will absolutely be spending more time in those next trip! Thanks for theadvice

 

[Birky]

Your find #5 is a whizzer, I believe--not sure if it's on an old worn coin...looks like it. The bulldog is very cool, I don't know how big it is. I found a button like that once! Woods hunting is not my forte--I tend to shy away from it.

I'm not exactly sure what you mean by "whizzer"? Other than maybe I should just "whiz" it into the trash?

Heres a pic for scale reference, I don't have a clue what either of them could've came off of?


I thought the bulldog was pretty cool too

Thanks Erik.

 

[Birky]

Nice finds, nice pictures but no way you would ever get me down that hole Birky.

LOL thanks VP, let me know if you change your mind about that well..I'll keep a spot open for ya

 

[Maniac Detector]

Another post explains a whizzer, someone else found one recently. Basicly you tie string to it and pull on the string, and it will "wizzes" in circles. You should definatly go back at least once! Who knows, you might be happy you did.

 

[Birky]

Do you mind if I ask how far away from Louisville you were? and coming from a kentucky folk, theres not much to find here

I was about 300 miles from Louisville, and there's plenty to be found in KY just keep on searchin

 

[Trezurehunter]

You are right about the Presidential token. Cracker Jack started putting Presidential tokens in their boxes in 1933.

 

[wkrp43]

Nice cj token. I have one of those, James Madison.

 

[g-olden years]

Wonderful site pics! When I slowly scanned past the woodsy corner foundation remains pic, I kept thinking, "They're gonna find an old well!", then boom! There it was! Definitely return there to check out well & cave, so long as there's no danger. Well may just have an old pan or busted bottles, but maybe something wonderful in there too! HAVE FUN! Andi

 

[BuckleBoy]

Do you mind if I ask how far away from Louisville you were? and coming from a kentucky folk, theres not much to find here

That's funny. I did very well in Kentucky! Take a look at my 2008, 2009, and 2010 annual finds posts under the "Best Finds" category.

I dug half a dozen civil war belt buckles and plates in four years, hundreds of bullets, old coins, spanish silver, I dug 20 large cents one year, colonial relics and coins back to the 1770s.


To the OP, I'd metal detect the soft dirt in the cave. Caves were used for shelter by people as far back as they were in the area.

 

[BosnMate]

If people were using the cave, the cook fire would be outside and a lot of the living there took place at the entrance of the cave. You have some interesting finds, and I surd go back a couple of times.

 

[strateloss]

Nice site! I too wonder about these sites and the mysterious missing coins. I've hit at least 3 stone foundations that have never been detected before in PA, NJ & NY and found lots of relics, buckles etc but no coins. Like you said, they may have not had them to lose.

I'm not sure either, but I think #5 may have been one of those weights that were used in womans dresses.

 

[Birky]

Wonderful site pics! When I slowly scanned past the woodsy corner foundation remains pic, I kept thinking, "They're gonna find an old well!", then boom! There it was! Definitely return there to check out well & cave, so long as there's no danger. Well may just have an old pan or busted bottles, but maybe something wonderful in there too! HAVE FUN! Andi

Thank you for the kind words G-olden years
It's no surprise that you knew we'd find that well there, it seems to me some of us have that sixth sense which guides us along in our hunts

I will be going back ASAP to check the aforementioned areas and will definitely update when I do.

Thanks,
HH