new to this site. please give advice on detecting

[am18594]

hello and hope everyone is enjoying their digs! i stumbled upon an old abandended home today in upstate ny. its in the middle of the woods and i went in and found old letters and such dating back to 1906. it was so overgrown with trees and weeds i didnt realize it was a home. even the old furniture is there. any thought would be appreciated. it was actually on a piece of property not posted and set far back off a dirt road. where do i start? thanks in advance! al

 

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[Eddie Lomax]

where do i start? thanks in advance! al

Start by getting permission.

 

[am18594]

thanks and i guess need to talk to people in the area, not many on who might own this. lots of books going back to 1903 to 1913 as well

 

[jeff of pa]

welcome to TreasureNet al !

sounds like a cool site !

 

[Tennessee Treasure Hunter]

You can get a close address to that property and go to your courthouse, they can give you owners name and info. That's how I do it here in Tn. give it a try hope that helps some!!

 

[Felinepeachy]

Look online and see if that county has GIS mapping online. If so, you can just narrow it down to the parcel and it will tell you all the info you need to know.

 

[am18594]

thanks . do i tear it apart or what. there are 2 barns close by as well. just trying to get some ideas what to do .

 

[Felinepeachy]

We wouldn't advise doing anything until you've received permission from the legal owner to hunt there.

 

[hammered]

thanks . do i tear it apart or what. there are 2 barns close by as well. just trying to get some ideas what to do .

Could you explain what you mean by "tear it apart"?.

hammered

 

[am18594]

the roof is collapsed and home in very bad shape. should i go room to room, looking for valuables and just tear it apart?

 

[hammered]

the roof is collapsed and home in very bad shape. should i go room to room, looking for valuables and just tear it apart?

As FP says, don't do anything until you get the landowners permission. Once you have got permission then discuss with the owner what you would like to do, they might not want you to tear it apart or maybe they wont mind. Permission first.

hammered

 

[lennon631]

It sounds like it's abandoned OR someone out of state may have inherited the property and just keeps up with the taxes (or not) for future use. I love upstate NY, but there are some places up there that are SO off the beaten path, that they are very hard to sell! It seems a shame to let the contents get destroyed. I do not condone trespassing, but honestly, if it is THAT buried and forgotten about for 100 years and hasn't been vandalized yet, I would guess that NO one knows it's even there! Try to find the owners, knock on the next closest property owner. Or see if the taxes are indeed kept up. Tough call...

 

[scrubber]

First, try to locate it on Google Earth or take a GPS out there. Either will give you location coordinates. Google Earth will help you see what homes are nearby. Then go to County records to find the current owner. Do that before knocking on neighbors' doors, which should only be as a last resort. If they're not the owners, why alert them to your find?

scrubber

 

[Woodland Detectors]

Here's what you do:

1. Gain Permission ( I know a guy who was banned from a whole city and fined some HUGE bucks because he assumed he was in a spot no one would care about) he said it was like 10,000 or more fine...It's close to a poaching penalty. Or same as.
2. Do Not Tear anything apart ok?
3. Your representing me, and all of these other folks that enjoy the hobby that work very hard to keep doors open for the hobby so, please be respectful of the property, even if it's in the woods.
4a. Before detecting, look at the site, think. That old oak tree or stump was probably a good spot to lean on, or play around. The entrance. The back. Is there water nearby. Fruit trees. Look for pottery shards suggesting a dump. There were no trash removal services back then. Privy. (potty)
Alot of real epic finds come from digging and sifting Privy's...But that's another monster we can discuss later.
4b. Start metal detecting.
5. Your going to encounter a lot of iron and scrap in the beginning, so bring along a Rubbermaid trash barrel or set the scrap aside in a pile to be removed later. It's a process my friend. You must go through the bad to get to the good.
Have fun, be safe, and always donate something to your local museum, or the Landowner.

 

[Chug And Red]

Here's what you do:

1. Gain Permission ( I know a guy who was banned from a whole city and fined some HUGE bucks because he assumed he was in a spot no one would care about) he said it was like 10,000 or more fine...It's close to a poaching penalty. Or same as.
2. Do Not Tear anything apart ok?
3. Your representing me, and all of these other folks that enjoy the hobby that work very hard to keep doors open for the hobby so, please be respectful of the property, even if it's in the woods.
4a. Before detecting, look at the site, think. That old oak tree or stump was probably a good spot to lean on, or play around. The entrance. The back. Is there water nearby. Fruit trees. Look for pottery shards suggesting a dump. There were no trash removal services back then. Privy. (potty)
Alot of real epic finds come from digging and sifting Privy's...But that's another monster we can discuss later.
4b. Start metal detecting.
5. Your going to encounter a lot of iron and scrap in the beginning, so bring along a Rubbermaid trash barrel or set the scrap aside in a pile to be removed later. It's a process my friend. You must go through the bad to get to the good.
Have fun, be safe, and always donate something to your local museum, or the Landowner.

One more to add!! Be safe!!!

When you do get permission do not go into the house without some on the out side to help you out in case it colapses on you!!!!