Old jailhouse hunt

[Pork King]

I've been hunting an old jailhouse site (jailhouse still there) that was active from 1830-1849. The place had been renovated several times, with some renovations as recent as 10-15 years ago. The idea was to fix it up and turn it into a museum, but funds fell short. Lots and lots of iron out there, but a few good copper/brass hits, which is what I was mainly hunting for. I would LOVE to find an old sheriff or deputy star...
Lots of 10-20 year old Coke cans, too. Here are some things I did pull out...

Most of this stuff seems fairly modern, but there are a couple of interesting finds... The 1" button with a (barely visible) star on it seems like it could be sheriff or pre-CW militia coat button. I also found what looks like a copper key head with a fleur de lis on it. Not sure of the age on it either.

Also, a plow tooth, a hinge, and a large iron piece of something with an oval indent on it.


I've still got one side of the building/yard to go over, then on to finding permission to hunt the private land across the road where the courthouse/gallows used to stand.

 

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[SkyPirate]

Nice, I hope you find something good! Can you post a closer picture of the copper key head ?

 

[Silver Worm]

PK, keep at it, ole boy!

 

[l2hunt]

nice finds!

 

[Pork King]

Here is a closeup of the alleged key. Other side looks exactly the same. obviously broken off at the top.

 

[relicmeister]

Nice group of relics there. Hope you get more chances to hunt this interesting site. Must be more in all the iron signals. I think shackles would
be awesome to find,eh?

 

[wheatfinder13]

Great job

 

[Pork King]

Nice group of relics there. Hope you get more chances to hunt this interesting site. Must be more in all the iron signals. I think shackles would
be awesome to find,eh?

Thanks! I don't know if I could even begin to look at all the iron out there! around the building there are so many nails and pieces of tin, I'm getting 2-3 beeps per swing, and the way some of the soil is out there, some of the newer stuff even is 10-12" down. That's a lot of digging! I got one more side yard to sweep (about 50'x75' or less) and that's mostly packed slag gravel for the first 3 inches or so. THAT should be fun to dig in!

 

[Pork King]

Here is a picture of the old jail and some of the yard.

The second story was added much later than the original construction, from what I've been told.

 

[Skwerly]

Cool! That looks like a really neat place to detect. Keep us posted!

 

[BosnMate]

Looks like you found one hand cuff, and the copper fittings look electrical. Did they have an electric chair ---------- Just bad humor.

 

[Pork King]

Looks like you found one hand cuff, and the copper fittings look electrical. Did they have an electric chair ---------- Just bad humor.

If you are referring to the rusted metal ring, that's no handcuff. Just a flange of some sort. My dad beat you to the "electric chair" joke after he saw the fittings. Though the jail predates the electric chair by about 30 years! They used a "hangin' tree" that once stood in the empty lot across the road where the courthouse used to be.

 

[Damon64]

That jailhouse rocks!

 

[John Boy]

That's some neat stuff.

 

[pong12211]

Wow neat place you have to detect there... Whatever you do don't give up I bet you are going to score something really really cool at that spot... Best of luck and happy hunting..

 

[Pork King]

Mystery solved on the copper/brass "electrical" fittings. I found a piece of what looks light a wrought iron fence or railing with a topper that fit on top with that same shape. Also a couple more unidentifiables and, at long last, coins! I finally found 2 coins out there! They are (drumroll)... 2 Lincoln pennies, 1988 and 1989. I can only surmise by this that past lawmen must have also been time travelers.

 

[RedCardHack]

Cool Finds!!