The Graveyard thing Again

[m bryan]

Got permission today to hunt some private property. It has an old graveyard that dates back a couple hundred years(all ancient graves). He told me to feel free to hunt it, but just dont dig over the graves.......I wouldn't want to do anything to bring shame to my fellow Tneters. ...........what do you think? Whats ok and whats not?

 

[ppratt]

You got permission help yourself. If you dig a ring attached to a finger in a shallow grave put it back and move on. Spots are getting harder and harder to find. Good luck

 

[Elwood P. Dowd]

I always stop and trudge across the fields to make notes. I love cemeteries. They are journals of someone's life, though a small momento. But I never detect them.

Missouri and Texas (where I am from) are the same way with little graveyards. Some of them are in the middle of college campuses or park, etc..
The old ones facinate me but I would never detect around them. Even If I found something I would consider it a memento left for a loved one. Some people don't mind detecting in old graveyards and that is OK for them. I choose for myself and I choose - no.

 

[Old Town]

The memento thing is what mostly bothers me. I see all kinds of metal things sitting on graves in our local grave yard. Coins I've never seen along with tiny metal statues and even military badges and things. People have done this for years and this stuff always ends up on the ground. Plucking such stuff is not something I'd feel comfortable with.

OT

 

[FLauthor]

I have hunted graveyards in the past especially the extremely old ones. Try to figure out where people would park their horse and buggies. Usually the same place they parked their cars and usually away from the graves. Hunt between the graves too. Ever been to a gravesite funeral with the tent and chairs placed. People sit down, pulling hankies out of pockets along with their silver and gold change. Use a probe to locate the target, separate the grass and ease the coin(s) from the soil without damaging the grass. Might give the spirits a little bit of enjoyment as you detect around the grounds, .

 

[Old Town]

FLauthor, why not just bring your detector to the next funeral? You see some weeping widow pull out a hanky you can be right there to take her change that scatters on the lawn. Might get a ring. How knows with the condition she'll be in. Woman like that might drop her whole purse and not know it at such a time.

Old Town

 

[m bryan]

FLauthor, why not just bring your detector to the next funeral? You see some weeping widow pull out a hanky you can be right there to take her change that scatters on the lawn. Might get a ring. How knows with the condition she'll be in. Woman like that might drop her whole purse and not know it at such a time.

Old Town

 

[lafatlife]

This is getting ridiculous. Who in their right mind would actually go to a funeral and detect? I know it was probably meant as a joke but this thread was started by a serious question.

To the original poster.... Some people will not detect graveyards because of their own personal beliefs. If you feel comfortable detecting old graveyards that are on someones property and they gave you permission, go for it.

If you don't feel comfortable then don't do it.

That is the bottom line. There is no "bad mo-jo" or "bad voodoo" or anything like that. It is all personal opinion. I will add however, that public cemeteries are different and please remember that. Each plot is owned by a family and permission SHOULD be obtained prior to digging. The grounds around the property are NOT owned by individuals and therefore should be (but not always) able to be detected.
Respect is the key here as well as not doing harm to the metal detecting community. Don't give the majority of people who detect a bad name because you think their MAY be something good at a grave site.

 

[Old Town]

fatlife, if you are really interested in metal detecting imagery and the public, you'd never detect any cemetery public or private. That detail (ownership) is not considered by the average man as you are looting the area next to a private headstone.

Read up on this subject on the forum. There are many posts like this. I dare guess 95% of persons would not touch any cemetery unless they are a stinking archeologist. And then they'd bring in a team of paint brushed debauchers. You want to be included in that crowd? Not me.

OT

 

[lafatlife]

That detail (ownership) is not considered by the average man as you are looting the area next to a private headstone.

That is why I mention it here. The more people know, the better off we all will be!

Read up on this subject on the forum. There are many posts like this. I dare guess 95% of persons would not touch any cemetery unless they are a stinking archeologist. And then they'd bring in a team of paint brushed debauchers. You want to be included in that crowd? Not me.
OT

I believe that I covered that. Most people do not feel comfortable detecting cemeteries. However, as I stated much earlier in this thread there are areas where you can detect in some that would not cause a problem. For instance, there is a pond in our local cemetery that people fish in all the time. It is not next to any graves, it is located at the back end of the cemetery. I have detected there and didn't think twice about it. I, speaking only of myself and no one else, would never detect over a grave. I think it is just disrespectful. I don't even walk over the graves!!

I speak of respect which is something that is showing itself less and less now-a-days. It has absolutely nothing to do with bad mojo or voodoo or anything like that. The people who give metal detecting a bad name do so because they do not have or show respect for where they are. They leave holes, they damage the ground and they just don't seem to care. Those are the people who are going to dig over graves. Those are the people who are only after the value of the prize and not what is behind the treasure. The history of it, the stories that are attached to it. Those are the reasons that MOST of us detect. We enjoy the history behind these things and we have respect for this hobby.

 

[Old Town]

I dig now, fatlife. I thought you were saying digging on top of a grave or even around the edge of one was OK. What you describe with the pond and all would seem okay. I just tend to stay completely away from burial sites. I'll pay better attention when I read next time.

OT

 

[NoNeck]

I feel it is a disrespect to metal detect in any grave yard cemetery. Anyone that does this Please stop.

 

[DigginThePast]

FLauthor, why not just bring your detector to the next funeral? You see some weeping widow pull out a hanky you can be right there to take her change that scatters on the lawn. Might get a ring. How knows with the condition she'll be in. Woman like that might drop her whole purse and not know it at such a time.

Old Town

I prefer to use a butterfly net in the case of a whole purse drop. Usually I wear "safari clothes", hat and all. Grab the booty and head out. Nobody has approached me about this yet, I believe I have them really fooled into thinking I am there solely to catch butterflies.

Ooo, look some more.

 

[Old Town]

Diggin, you're a sick puppy. I do love the butterfly image though. Can't stop looking at it.

OT

 

[lafatlife]

No harm, no foul OT. Cemeteries are a tough topic to discuss and respect is the key. Respect for the dead as well as the living.

 

[HISPAN]

I hunt only in cemeteries to more than 200 years old, only superficial, asking forgiveness for the deceased and objectively appropriate only when they are in danger now that the cemetery is located in an agricultural field or similar cases (construction of roads or modern buildings) only to save the findings of the deceased in case of danger of being destroyed, and only superficially without altering any grave.
Do not do to others what you do not like that done to you.
Greetings!

 

[andy from de]

I said it before, I'll say it again, I wouldn't hunt a cemetery even if I did have permission. Bad voojoo... I'll have lots of time in a cemetery at some point. I hate cemeteries, They give me the creeps. AA

 

[Cass]

Bryan, you were pretty much good to go with permission from the land owner and had some guidelines set by him as to what would be expected of you. However, there are some situations concerning cemeterys that must be voiced for those that may tend to get in the habit of or think of cemetery detecting actually being worth the trouble, even though all respect and honor is recognized in the pursuit. This pursuit in some cases can literally put the one doing the purseing in danger of getting his head blown off.I have told my tale of just such a situation on several of these forums for several years and it needs to be told again and again for those newbies with big ideas of getting lucky in a cemetery. I went into a large old (still in use )cemetery years ago and upon entering I asked some people there by a grave if if it would be ok with them if I detected the old Church site at the far end of the cemetery. They said it was ok with them. All that was left was a small slab where the front door of the Church had been, as it had been torn down and moved years before.The closest graves were probably 60 yds. away.I hunted awhile and was approached by this guy jawing at me about digging in a cemetery. I should have taken heed of the lack of brains he was displaying from the fact that here he was cursing out some metal detecting guy with a 22 Mag. strapped on his side in plain sight.I quietly let him know he best back off and go back wherever he came from, which he did, and I continued on with my detecting. After 30 min. or so and only a little luck( couple of wheaties) and a little disturbed by the cusshead/wildman., I headed for the gate and my truck where an old man was parked in a truck.I walked over to my truck and put my stuff over the tailgate and into the back of my truck.The old guy had waved for me to come by his truck so I did.We shook hands, introduced ourselves and I showed him the wheats I had found by the Church, and he went wild accusing me of "digging and robbing the dead!" and letting me know just how close I had come to his "shooting you dead and leaving you lay"(His very words)with the 12Ga. laying aross his lap and partly resting on his wife's leg. This was "Wildmans"Uncle and I was seeing who he got the crazy from.I did my best to ease back toward my truck and to put some diastance between us while he was ranting and raving.I made it to my truck I believe only because he had seen the gun on my side, and suspected that I may just do some shooting myself if he started to stick that 12 ga. out that truck window. What was I to do? What would you have done? I knew when the man told me his name at the truck that I was in a bad situation, because I knew the family name and knew of his brother that had killed another of their brothers over the disputed ownership of a fish pond on their land.I truly believe that had I not been armed, and that he either saw it or was told by his nephew, he would have shot me dead in the cemetery, as he said he had planned to do soon as he drove up and parked.God is good to us all, and He was expecially good to me that day for sure! ,,,, Y'all think on it real hard before you hunt a cemetery! HH Cass

 

[m bryan]

Bryan, you were pretty much good to go with permission from the land owner and had some guidelines set by him as to what would be expected of you. However, there are some situations concerning cemeterys that must be voiced for those that may tend to get in the habit of or think of cemetery detecting actually being worth the trouble, even though all respect and honor is recognized in the pursuit. This pursuit in some cases can literally put the one doing the purseing in danger of getting his head blown off.I have told my tale of just such a situation on several of these forums for several years and it needs to be told again and again for those newbies with big ideas of getting lucky in a cemetery. I went into a large old (still in use )cemetery years ago and upon entering I asked some people there by a grave if if it would be ok with them if I detected the old Church site at the far end of the cemetery. They said it was ok with them. All that was left was a small slab where the front door of the Church had been, as it had been torn down and moved years before.The closest graves were probably 60 yds. away.I hunted awhile and was approached by this guy jawing at me about digging in a cemetery. I should have taken heed of the lack of brains he was displaying from the fact that here he was cursing out some metal detecting guy with a 22 Mag. strapped on his side in plain sight.I quietly let him know he best back off and go back wherever he came from, which he did, and I continued on with my detecting. After 30 min. or so and only a little luck( couple of wheaties) and a little disturbed by the cusshead/wildman., I headed for the gate and my truck where an old man was parked in a truck.I walked over to my truck and put my stuff over the tailgate and into the back of my truck.The old guy had waved for me to come by his truck so I did.We shook hands, introduced ourselves and I showed him the wheats I had found by the Church, and he went wild accusing me of "digging and robbing the dead!" and letting me know just how close I had come to his "shooting you dead and leaving you lay"(His very words)with the 12Ga. laying aross his lap and partly resting on his wife's leg. This was "Wildmans"Uncle and I was seeing who he got the crazy from.I did my best to ease back toward my truck and to put some diastance between us while he was ranting and raving.I made it to my truck I believe only because he had seen the gun on my side, and suspected that I may just do some shooting myself if he started to stick that 12 ga. out that truck window. What was I to do? What would you have done? I knew when the man told me his name at the truck that I was in a bad situation, because I knew the family name and knew of his brother that had killed another of their brothers over the disputed ownership of a fish pond on their land.I truly believe that had I not been armed, and that he either saw it or was told by his nephew, he would have shot me dead in the cemetery, as he said he had planned to do soon as he drove up and parked.God is good to us all, and He was expecially good to me that day for sure! ,,,, Y'all think on it real hard before you hunt a cemetery! HH Cass

Cass, sounds like a scene from Deliverance...

 

[Cass]

Absolutely!, and you can believe those type folks are not still just in the movies. All $H1t don't just "happen" when there are those type of folks still "out there" just looking for an excuse to "make it happen."

 

[Willee]

Bryan ... go and detect ... have fun ... but show respect.
The dead that are buried there dont care if you dig up lost items 10" deep.
It seems to be the living that get bent all out of shape over this.
You are not grave robbing.

There are many old unmarked grave sites and some marked and known that are disturbed every year by new construction.
The dead dont care.

Just be respectful and treat the grave sites as if they were your own family.
You should have no problems from that approach.