Locations for civil war artifacts in Virginia

[OBXmetalDet]

Finally I recently started metal detecting. Does anybody know any sites in Virginia and/or Maryland where you can find civil war relics? To be as clear as possible, please give GPS coordinates if you can along with any other additional information.

Also, I would like to find some people to go detecting with because as I detect, I come up with questions. For example, for example, I will get a signal, then I will rescan that same spot and get no signal (I have found out that in some cases, if my shovel swings forward as I am walking that could trigger a false signal). In other cases I will get a target ID on a spot, then when I rescan that spot, a different target ID comes up.

So if you are experienced with metal detecting and if you would like to show a novice how to improve their technique and provide some helpful tips, then let me know.

I have a Minelab Equinox 800.

In summary, I am looking for:

1. Places in Virginia (ideally Northern and Central Virginia) and Maryland which are good for detecting Civil war relics

2. Somebody who is experienced who might be able to answer questions as I am detecting

If we can get a group of people together, that would be even better.

 

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[TIE543]

Virginia and Maryland are full of good sites, but good luck getting someone to drop GPS coords to their honeyhole on a public forum lol

 

[gunsil]

I seriously think you are asking way too much, I doubt if anybody will give you GPS coordinates to any great CW sites. These are hard to find anymore and most folks keep their good sites private. People work hard to get permission to hunt private property with CW association and few are willing to share their hard work of research and actually getting the landowner's permission. Few groups get together to hunt, most hunt alone or with one or two hunting buddies, many landowners don't want a crowd digging on their land, just the nature of the game. There is a big pay to hunt event in Culpepper, VA called Digging VA, I suggest you try to get on board for one of the hunts there, they do allow lots of people at once. It might cost $200 to hunt there but a friend of mine found a CW medal worth over five grand at one of the hunts there. If you are new to hunting and the Nox you need to learn the machine which takes a lot of use hours, and you need to learn pinpointing well so as to not make huge holes for small targets. Download and print out the free Nox manual from the Minelab website and read it several times, and there are lots of free Youtube instructional videos on how to work your Nox. Regarding false signals, don't try hunting with max sensitivity until you are in an area with few targets and have a lot of hours on your machine. Always noise cancel, and if you are falsing a lot, ground balance. Swinging your coil up at the ends of your swing will give you false signals also. Any good signal is a REPEATABLE signal, that is one that reads the same from two 90 degree angles. The Nox can be used right out of the box but if you have never used a detector there is a pretty steep learning curve involved, so just get out and practice all you can, you will learn best by hunting.

You don't give your location, but many states have detecting clubs one can join and meet other users and learn from them, google is your friend, look for any in your area. These clubs often have seeded (coins, etc buried on purpose) hunts where large groups get together for hunting and fun, some bury tokens one can turn in for prizes. Not my style, but some like them.

Learn to do your own research, it is a BIG part of the game. Visit your local historical society and ask around, try to find early maps of your area and find your own older sites and work to get permission to hunt there. There are now many thousands of detector users and most public places in many areas have been pounded hard for fifty years so permission for private property is paramount. Good luck out there!!

 

[smokeythecat]

There are thousand of sites in Maryland in Virginia. And no one gives up sites anymore. So...you need to develop some of your own. How it is SUPPOSED to work is you do some research or just get lucky and develop a site. Then meet some other detectorists and go with them and then they go with you and on and on.

When the tit for tat breaks down you dump them like a week old cat box and never look back.

Plan B is to go to a paid hunt then learn more about the area to get a new permission.

 

[Rmeav8r]

First of all your in a great spot. Join a club or group. Once you meet some other folks in the hobby they will share plenty and be happy to have someone to go with. It’s not safe or smart for many of us to head out to some “secret “ location by ourselves anyway. Be polite, ask questions and try to learn from those with more experience! There are plenty of friendly ambassadors to this hobby....and for 99% of us it’s just a hobby. Have fun, enjoy yourself.

 

[angelito1]

welcome to Tnet .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ...

 

[smokeythecat]

As far as tips go. use a PRESET on the machine, don't tweak it right off. And go SLOW. Use a closed zipper pattern instead of an open "Z" pattern and don't be afraid to dig iffy signals.

 

[The Rebel]

Look into the history of the area you want to hunt. Google search the areas you want to hunt. Look for Maps.

These are the holy grail of CW history: Civil War: Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies | National Archives

 

[CASPER-2]

https://www.amazon.com/Official-Military-Atlas-Civil-War/dp/0760750440

 

[smokeythecat]

Warning: the print is beyond tiny in that book.

 

[gunsil]

I have an original 1958 edition of that book, it is huge, 17&1/2"x 14" and the writing is not tiny. These are very hard to find and costly but are fantastic references. If the Amazon book is merely a reprint in standard book size I could see that the writing must be tiny.

 

[Steve in PA]

So you were hoping to get someone to give you GPS coordinates and you were just going to walk out on that land and start detecting without the landowners permission? It just don't work that way. You are better off researching the history in the areas convenient to you, and knocking on doors. It's not easy to get permission these days. Or you could join one of the organized hunts that will put you on ground with CW relics for a price. A lot of these hunts are on hot ground that will give your Equinox some trouble. You would have to use the all metal mode in hot ground. But you might make a friend that would take you out somewhere else.

 

[HI-McDunnogh]

Putting in the research to find your own spot, and then actually finding relics on that spot is 1,000x more rewarding then having someone tell you wear to go.

I think you'll have much better look on here if you ask for suggestions on how/what/wear to research what you are looking for.

Good luck.

 

[smokeythecat]

Trespassing these days sometimes will just you yelled at, sometimes the owner comes out with a big dog or shotgun. ALWAYS ask permission. NEVER go on federal land. EVER.

 

[The Rebel]

Seems the OP up & disappeared like a fart in the wind.

 

[smokeythecat]

I noticed.

 

[OBXmetalDet]

If you are new to hunting and the Nox you need to learn the machine which takes a lot of use hours, and you need to learn pinpointing well so as to not make huge holes for small targets.

Swinging your coil up at the ends of your swing will give you false signals also. Any good signal is a REPEATABLE signal, that is one that reads the same from two 90 degree angles. The Nox can be used right out of the box but if you have never used a detector there is a pretty steep learning curve involved, so just get out and practice all you can, you will learn best by hunting.

Thank you for your feedback. Since my original post I have finally managed to find some old maps. I just got back after spending a few hours at what I thought might be some good sites. I just found some old nails and scrap metal. Nothing significant.

You mentioned that swinging your coil high at the end of the swing can generate false signals. How could that result in false signals?

 

[OBXmetalDet]

Look into the history of the area you want to hunt. Google search the areas you want to hunt. Look for Maps.

These are the holy grail of CW history: Civil War: Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies | National Archives

Thank you for the link. Up until now I have relied mainly on the Library of Congress for maps.

 

[OBXmetalDet]

So you were hoping to get someone to give you GPS coordinates and you were just going to walk out on that land and start detecting without the landowners permission?

No, that's not what I was hoping for. I was hoping for coordinates for public land, not private. After reading everybody's replies, it looks like getting permission on private property is the way to go. I was hoping that avoid that and just search public land.

 

[OBXmetalDet]

Putting in the research to find your own spot, and then actually finding relics on that spot is 1,000x more rewarding then having someone tell you wear to go.

I think you'll have much better look on here if you ask for suggestions on how/what/wear to research what you are looking for.

Good luck.

Since my original post I have done a lot of research. Finally I came across some maps from the LOC website. I know those maps aren't 100% accurate, but the scaling on some of them are way off.