Fire Hydrants!

[mellowcheddar]

Hey kids:

Here's my finds from land that used to contain an amusement park. It closed in 1969. The weird thing isn't finding a fire hydrant, it's finding 2 of them within 50 feet of each other. I may have wandered into what land that was once a private girl's Catholic school that boarded students at one time. The main building is now a library.
WOW did I have fun back there with the Ace 250! As you can see I found the cap to the busted hydrant rught next to it. There's also what seems to be a now-disappered path or road lined by trees. Unfortunatly there's also OODLES AND OODLES of Poison Ivy back there. The last time I got it I had it on all but 1 part of my body- my right eye swelled shut! Oh that was bad- and I wasn't even detecting.
So can anybody figure out why the heck there'd be 2 hydrants that close to eachother? The area is almost totally overgrown with English Ivy. I am so psyched. Last year I went back there with my hoopty detector and didn't find much but I have this hunch... Also if anybody knows of a pre-emptive strike to keep from getting Poison Ivy (other than keeping the peepers peeled) for God's sake please share!

Cheers...
~mellowcheddar~

 

[mellowcheddar]

Found the IvyBlock! If it warms up today, I'm goin' in there! If I don't come out... It's 'cos I fought a ghost for some treasure...  My co-workers think I'm nuts! Feh. This does count as exercise, no? I like coin collecting much better when I find 'em myself- including the time I got $7 worth of silver quarters in my register! And to think I was just looking for the WheresGeorge bills! But I digress. I am not very gifted in the staying on topic department.

 

[Bridge End Farm]

Found the IvyBlock! If it warms up today, I'm goin' in there! If I don't come out... It's 'cos I fought a ghost for some treasure... My co-workers think I'm nuts! Feh. This does count as exercise, no? I like coin collecting much better when I find 'em myself- including the time I got $7 worth of silver quarters in my register! And to think I was just looking for the WheresGeorge bills! But I digress. I am not very gifted in the staying on topic department.

lol if needed we will form a search party and come get you out HH

 

[RHoward]

Try this for maps:

http://sanborn.umi.com/

username - residence
password - welcome

 

[mellowcheddar]

RHoward:

Should you ever ponder changing your screen name, consider Captain Awesome. 'Twould surely be fitting. I've been looking for these for a loooong time!

 

[RHoward]

I can't take credit for that, someone posted it on here a couple months ago. I just put in my archive of useful information. I use it all the time for towns in my state of Montana.

Good luck with your search. Stay poison ivy clean!!! Glad we don't have that stuff here.

 

[mellowcheddar]

Oh boy today's the day! Feasted the eyes on those Sanborns, found the border-fence for the end of the park, or what used to be the park. Hit the shower, suit up, and awaaay I go! Hope springs eternal.  Looked at the maps and I'm 99% sure I found those hydrants! Wow my jaw still hurts from hitting the desk. Now I'm wondering how to preserve the scale though. Guess I'll just have to wing it. They weren't far from some buildings and a chapel bit I think those were in a (modern) clearing and I'm doing this incognito, so we'll see. You know this is exciting for me if I'm VOLUNTARILY skipping out on The Price Is Right. Wish I could link to the maps but I can't figure out how.

 

[RHoward]

The Sanborn maps are printable. Also I have Google Earth and you can print those also. I print both and then can compare then with now.
surprising what you can discover.

 

[mellowcheddar]

Went in there yesterday afternoon with the worst monkey on my back, and I think you'll all agree that being pressed for time is one nasty monkey! We (me & the hubby) had KILLER seats to the ballgame last nite but the game was such a frickin' trainwreck we left in the top of the fifth (which is 110% weird for me). If I'm passing up a fireworks display you know something's AWFUL wrong!
But anyhoo, armed with the maps so kindly pointed out to me, I discovered something I was suspecting, that is that I'd wandered onto the old Catholic girls' school property. There was a hydrant I was looking for that I couldn't find, of course I spotted it on my way out, looked at the map, and hot dog, there it was! I hit some signals and dug up some shards of brick, and a shard of an aqua ceramic item with something printed on it, but it's only like 3/4" x 1/10". Lost the signal tho, kept at it, and I dug 8 inches down for a G*%^&^#{ pull-tab! I hit a lot of shale shards too. Spooked a deer. She got over it tho, I liked it since I figured she'd be a good 'watch dog'.
That's a HELL of a thicket back there tho, and my satchel won't hold a machete. The Man whould be ticked enough if he found me back there with the 10" kitchen knife. We all know detecting in thigh-high weeds is a pain, I'm thinking I should just press on and if I get something, the weeds get chopped and I see if it's worth bothering.
I don't want to be seen back there. it's within eyesight of a road and some paths. State parks don't allow MD'ing but it's kind of an ignored rule, plus they have bums and crackheads to play with. (Yes, I know, tsk tsk. ) I don't want to be bothered but the Ace may as well be a foghorn. DING DING, BLIP!! I have got to get some headphones for that thing.
If I could figure out a way to post the Sanbornes I would. I think I'm messing up the scale when I print it but I guess I can pretend it's an adventure. I WILL find something!
But anyhow... The Ivy Block seems to be a winner.

 

[mellowcheddar]

BTW went back today and found 2 more fire hydrants, a brick thing I can't figure out, and a large mound surrounded by stones. Also what looks to be a statue pedistal. Then the maintainence man and his golfcart had to come crash my treasure-buzz! Due to the cost of gas I think this is going to be my big 'go-to' project for the summer. Those Sanborns really are the stuff!