public land to hunt between Atlanta & Chattanooga for CW relics

[pulltabfelix]

anyone know of some public land between Atlanta & Chattanooga that you can hunt Civil War relics?

I have yet to figure out how to get good permissions in that area and wonder if there are some public lands up along the I-75 corridor between Atlanta and Chattanooga where Civil War relics may be located.

 

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[Loco-Digger]

so why not do like the rest of us, put some sweat equity into the hobby and do some research, reading history and scouring old maps.

 

[metrotec]

I - 75 is about the exact route that was taken. Knock on a door or two

 

[ticndig]

If there were such a place to relic hunt and one of our fine members told you where it was , you'd get there and find hundreds of others relic hunters just a swinging after reading this post.

 

[pulltabfelix]

Atlanta has probably more civil war action than any other place in the South and many northern states. The problem is that Altanta has grown fast and continuously since the 1970. Civil war sites that were once accessible are no longer available due to the growth. The extensive research (5-10 hours per week) that I have done has uncovered a few (3) CW site permissions in Atlanta. But the major problem hunting relics in Atlanta is that south of I-20 where the older parks and Civil War sites are located they are in areas populated by drug dealers and users. I probably have more maps of the Civil War action in Atlanta, read tons of books of CW books than most detectorists in Atlanta. The Battle of Peachtree Creek by Robert Jenkins is 553 pages long with pretty good geographical references. But when I track them down in the area of North Atlanta I find a huge hospital or million dollar home. People with million dollar homes will not let you dig on their properties.

I go to each county's historical society to look up information to try to cross reference historic sites with their present location. Not an easy task due to the roughness of some maps drawn 150 years ago. Most of the entire battle for Atlanta lays now under metro Atlanta. With the northern part of Atlanta super developed and very affluent and the southern part below I-20 not so much. Not as bad as south Chicago, but getting there.


The problem with finding sites north of Atlanta up the I-75 corridor it is more rural and in the South unless you are family or friends of family in that area driving up farmer's lanes door knocking for permissions is not my cup of tea. (and especially not for a city guy from Atlanta). Thus my post was for trying to get some introductions.

One gentleman from Atlanta sent me a private message and told me where he hunted back in the 80's in Atlanta on a still accessible Civil War site. This is the kind of info that I am looking for and what better place to ask for some specific help is on a forum on metal detecting loaded with detectorists with a wide variety of experience. A posting on a forum has also produced the exact locations of two gold mines that are still accessible. The guy grew up in that area as a teenager and his directions got me within 15 feet of each mine. They were all covered up in brush, but still there. One with a large tailings pile of quartz rocks.

 

[roaddust66]

I am in bad health now but that was my turf from 78 up to recently. The only public lands ever were at Resaca ( Hiwassee Land Company allowed you to hunt. Rocky Face could be hunted but both of those areas are now protected. My advice is to stick close to the railroad and knock on doors. Times have changed , land owner care about what you find. Example , I went to Corrinth every Winter for many years , at one place a farmer let us hunt his pastures for years , last time we went his grandchildren called th police on us and were hysterical and we had just got permission from the old man. Stick in the fields along the Western & Atlantic Railroad

 

[richtink]

anyone know of some public land between Atlanta & Chattanooga that you can hunt Civil War relics?

I have yet to figure out how to get good permissions in that area and wonder if there are some public lands up along the I-75 corridor between Atlanta and Chattanooga where Civil War relics may be located.

I feel ya, people just don't understand how difficult it is in Georgia to prospect and metal detect. If the land is not owned by an individual, or business, it is owned by a government and it is near impossible to get permission from a government to do either. Probably the best thing to do is join a club.