Metal Detecting By The Creek-Found Native Point

Wally Taylor · Jan 18, 2017

I found an 1854 map of my farm. I knew that there were two cabins behind and close to the creek. There is also a cabin this side of the creek that is now next to my septic field.
Next to one of the cabins behind the creek I found what I thought was a scraper, but Now I'm not sure if it's a scraper or a broken spear point. Any help would be appreciated.

A2coins · Jan 18, 2017

Looks like a spear point to me Welcome to tnet sounds like you have a great piece of land to detect that would be really fun I hope you find lots more stuff someone will know more about your find good job!!!Thanks for sharing it with us!!!!!!

Wally Taylor · Jan 18, 2017

I should say, The cabins are long gone. There are foundation stones near where I found the point. The other one I located using Google Earth. I didn't know that there was a cabin in front of the creek until I found the map. Then I went on Google Earth, and I can faintly make out two right angles as kind of shade lines in the grass. I even found out that there was a house just up the road from mine in what is now a corn-hayfield. I can see a very level spot in the field that I never noticed before.
Tomorrow is going to be dry, and in the 40's, very warm for Western New York. Two weeks ago we were in the teens. I'm using this awesome weather to learn a little about using my Christmas present, a White's Coinmaster. Not fancy, but I had to start with something! At least it got me out and looking at spots on my land that I have never checked out, thus the spear point! So far, a few nails and pennies, but with the cabin spots my hopes are high for finding something cool if I just remain patient. The spear point is a great start. The cabins would have been built in the early 1800's, so who knows. I do have a dump in the creek bank that I have never dug, but I can just pull old bottles, some medicine by just poking around with a stick. I hope to find some historical pieces of my land. This is fun!

diggingthe1 · Jan 18, 2017

That dump sounds awesome!! Bring a shovel and dig a few test holes. I have found quite a few native artifacts from around old cabins. I think people naturally collect artifacts. I would be looking for the old outhouse to dig. Hope you post some old bottle pictures, and some old coins and relics.Happy Hunting.

luvsdux · Jan 18, 2017

I'm not what would be considered an expert, but IMHO it looks much more like a spear point than any scraper I've seen.
luvsdux

Wally Taylor · Jan 18, 2017

Thanks everybody. I think the key is to be patient and dig every signal. I would hate to miss a wedding ring from early settlers just because I'm too lazy to go for every signal. There can't be much junk around the 1800's cabins. My hopes aren't too high. As long as I find a 1794 Silver Dollar I'll be happy!
If it is a spearpoint, it's cool to think that the broken tip could have occurred striking a bone. If it did, I hope it was a white tail instead of a human being! There is a huge deer herd here, so my hopes for arrowheads are pretty high after this discovery. It was about 3 inches deep found while digging for a 1 cent signal. I was hoping for an Indian Head Penny, but this is even a cooler Indian find. Thank You my Native Brothers! It's my first week metal detecting, so I'll chalk this up to beginner's luck!

Trezurehunter · Jan 19, 2017

Try posting it in the North American Indian Artifacts forum, and they will let you know exactly what your piece is. Nice find.

GaRebel1861 · Jan 19, 2017

There's no telling what you'll find around those old cabin sites and there's likely more Native American artifacts close by. Good luck.

against the wind · Jan 19, 2017

Cool find Wally,,
We're having some unbelievable January weather.
52 degrees in NYC today.
Like you,, I'm going to swing a coil today.
Congrats on the spear point.

DownNDirty · Jan 19, 2017

That's definitely a spear point, and a very well-made one. As others have posted there will be other Native American artifacts in the area, especially since the spot is close to a creek. Also, if you can get access to the corn field and there is exposed dirt from plowing it would be a good idea to walk it and look for arrow/spear points, stone tools and possibly pottery. Also be on the lookout for ceramic pottery and old glass shards, old brick fragments, etc.-if you find them in an area then you should metal detect there.

Good luck and keep posting your finds

DownNDirty · Jan 19, 2017

One more thing-when you are detecting the home sites don't get discouraged if you are hearing a lot of iron signals. That means that you are right where the structure was and that's where most of the good relics will be found. Swing your coil slowly, take your time and dig the non-ferrous signals. It takes a lot of patience but if you do this you will find some really good relics.

Wally Taylor · Jan 19, 2017

Sometimes the field next to my property is plowed up for corn planting. The creek curves around th field, so condition are perfect. I always alk my dog back n forth as soon as they plow, but I've never found anything. I think I sptted this after years and years I got a new eyeglass prescription, so my vision is very good. I think that helped me in spotting this one even though it was very flat an soil colored. I want more!
Our village was first settled in 1802, and the three cabin locations on my property are all within 100 feet of the creek. As you come down the hill, ours is the first creek low on the hill, so they could very well be some of the early settlers. On the 1854 map, the people who owned my land were obviously very wealthy, as their land holdings were extensive.
I'm hoping that this means that they had gold coins in their pockets fairly often. I REALLY would love to find a gold coin from the early settlers on my land. I have three cabin sites and two home sites to search within a minute walk from my house, so I'm hoping that something good shows up in my shovel!

Subterranean · Jan 19, 2017

Beautiful point, Wally. It may be a Paleo period atlatl, spear, or knife point, such as Clovis, Holcombe, or Redstone. Possibly 11,000-13,000 years old! I am sure an expert will help you out. Sub 8-)

trapperart · Jan 19, 2017

Congrats and good luck

Wally Taylor · Jan 24, 2017

I've been hunting the cabin site without any luck. An old cartridge brass, wire, nails, and NO COINS since the wheat coin with the point in the same hole. I just keep telling myself when I DO find a coin it might be a nice old piece of silver.
Anyway, I'm giving th cabin site a break, and I'm trying to spot an old home site on the same side of the road as my home. I never knew that it was ever there until I found the 1854 map. I went out when it was REALLY warm for a January night in New York State. I wasn't digging, but just trying to find the location, and I think I did.
There was a high, flat spot in the hayfield that I had nver noticed until looking at th map. I was getting a LOT of hits with the meral detector, and I could just picture all of the plaster lathe tacks that I had probably spotted.
Oh, well. I have the rest of my life to hunt my 3 acres and the creek with all of its trash dunps in the bank. It isn't about getting to the good stuff immediately. It's about doing a thorough hunt of my property, and I also can hunt some of the adjacent land. It's all farmland and Bedrock bottomed creek, so I know that my beginner's luck spear point is far from the last cool thing that I will find.
It was raining one day a few weeks back, so I went in my barn a

nd searched on top of the collar beams on two levels. It payed off, because I found a pair of coin silver eyeglasses from 1830 to 1835. Not only are they really cool, I can actually see better with them on rather than off. They are Curtiss & Stiles from Woodbury Conn.. They made spoons and eyeglasses from coin silver, andnthis particular partnership lasted five years in this iteration. I was very happy to find another part of my farms history.