I need sever help making up my mind, to dig or not to dig....

[smokeythecat]

Frank, you may be right. There is almost nothing left up there where the nails were, no pottery, glass, nothing. Just nails. Now today I went to within 50' of the 1750 something house and dug: ready for this: about 30 hi caliber m1a1 shell casings, half a 19th century horse shoe, probably 100 pieces of modern aluminum. There is no pottery glass, nails, coins, nothing there, I gridded a large area, took a long time. Suggestions?

 

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[smokeythecat]

Suggestions?

 

[surf]

Get closer to the house.

The Project Gutenberg eBook of Salona, by Ellen Anderson.

 

[smokeythecat]

That's the next phase. It's been added on to a lot. Lots of dirt from the new basement(s) put on top the old dirt.

 

[smokeythecat]

Ok, verdict is in. The house has had 3 additions to it and two other buildings have been built nearby. From the trash in the ground and lack of anything older than 1970, it appears when they excavated the 3 additions and other buildings, they simply buried the 18th and 18th century materials. I even found a burn pit, dating no earlier than 1960. There are probably odds and ends in the fields, where the stuff wasn't buried under 4 feet of dirt, but that's probably going to be it. I have maps of the place going back to the 1850's and there were no other buildings on the property at that time. Argh.

 

[smokeythecat]

Went back today. Aluminum heaven with one exception. On the far hill, I found another Civil War bullet not 50' from the first one. I checked out the reference book I have. (Mason and McKee). The first is a .577 Confederate nose cast minie. This second one is .44 CS Unknown revolver, according to the book. So what were the Confederates doing on that hillside? I first thought it was a target practice place, but not with two different caliber Confederate bullets. Stuart's cavalry passed not all that far from there back in 1863. May have been a short stop over. It would have been a wooded spot about 1/3 mile from an important road junction back in 1863. They must have been watching the roads. In the woods behind my house legend has it the Yanks hid a large batch of muskets in a cave. I've been to the cave. Not going in a cave, too much of a chicken plus I think the rifles were recovered, as I remember from the history books. The woods is 5 miles from where I found the Confederate bullets.
The owners' wife and I hit it off. She told me where she saw a meteor fall some 10 years ago. The guys looked for it but couldn't find it. Pointed it out to within a 100' x 100' area. If it's nickel iron, it shall be mine. This farm could have some serious potential.

 

[Msbeepbeep]

Awesome! See all you needed was a little clear thinking from all of us! Lol! Thanks for letting us help!

 

[WVPapaw]

Option 1, the 1750 farm (the farmer that is) just cleared the field last night. NEVER BEEN HUNTED. Field comes within 60' of the old house and the house still stands, right at the house the old stuff must be buried deep. And then go to the big coin show in town. Option 2, the beach where there will be 8-10 foot waves in the next 24 hours. Gold coins, rings with ice, colonial coppers, you name it, it's there. Farm is 10 minutes from the house. Beach 3 hours. What would YOU do? Inquiring minds want to know.

I would go to the Farm.

 

[WVPapaw]

Odd thing at the farm, on one hillside found bunch of forged nails, some 6"long, with NOTHING ELSE within 100'. Ideas?

Maybe original house burnt down at that spot. Get the nails out and then do serious detecting.