What do I do now? ...Opinions... TH Etiquette

[ncFloridaBum]

I believe I may have located De Francesco Spanish mission in Florida. This mission, to my knowledge, has not been located yet. I'm not certain it is, but about 70% confident.

It is on private property. I know the owner, and can easily gain permission to hunt.

Do I keep the information between myself and the owner?

Do I turn my info over to the University of Florida?

Or do I satisfy my craving for Spanish relics without disturbing the sight too much, and notify UF afterwards?

 

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[Dave Rishar]

I believe I may have located De Francesco Spanish mission in Florida. This mission, to my knowledge, has not been located yet. I'm not certain it is, but about 70% confident.

Swing a coil over it until you're 100% confident. (Or 0% confident.) Then worry about who to tell, or not to tell.

 

[G.I.B.]

It sounds like you are absolutely certain what you seek is located where you think it is.

So, start telling people, then nothing is found and there goes any credibility, or find some artifacts and validate your theory first?

 

[miboje]

Verify without disturbing too much, then let the notification part up up to the land owner. And if I were the landowner, not sure I would want to notify anyone, really. Once the U of F finds out, will anyone else will be permitted to do anything at all?

 

[ncFloridaBum]

It sounds like you are absolutely certain what you seek is located where you think it is.

So, start telling people, then nothing is found and there goes any credibility, or find some artifacts and validate your theory first?

Good point.

 

[Peyton Manning]

unless you find proof positive I would just keep it on the down low

 

[ncFloridaBum]

Verify without disturbing too much, then let the notification part up up to the land owner. And if I were the landowner, not sure I would want to notify anyone, really. Once the U of F finds out, will anyone else will be permitted to do anything at all?

Good point. If the landowner doesn't want anyone to know, that would keep the guilt off of my shoulders for keeping any spoils.

 

[releventchair]

Squirrel Everett?

 

[Honest Samuel]

When searching for single coins and jewel, you do not know if there is buried treasures on the land that you are searching. Always get a written contract for single coins and jewel and for buried treasures. You never know what you find. Pertaining to this story, have the owner sign the contract, and both of you keep this information to yourselves. I recommend that the coins are sold in a coin auction and the same for your jewel. Take both single pictures and movies of the search and recover. Then contact U of Florida and give them copies of the single pictures and movies. You do not owe them any treasures. Best of luck and keep in touch.

 

[DURASPANK]

Shutup and dig.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

G.I.B.'s got a "been there done that" sort of answer that a lot of md'rs can relate to: You research , and envision all sorts of grandeur about your spot. So you are ALREADY scheming on legal stuff, show & tell stuff, friends to invite, contracts, blah blah blah. But lo & behold, your site doesn't pan out for whatever reason. Then any steps and hoops you went through were for nought. And friends and property owner you got riled up are now thinking "what was THAT all about ?".

Thus find a few age indicators (to validate you got a site) , then to the next "what if?" steps

And as for Samuel's advice: keep things informal with property owners (contracts, etc....). Leave it handshake level, UNLESS the property owner requests something in writing. Otherwise, by putting contracts in front of people to sign, is sometimes the fastest way to turn a "yes" to a "no". It only conjures up legal hassles, or "imminent treasures" or whatever.

 

[BARKER]

Hi; GIB & TOM_IN_CA Hit the nail on the head. Keep it to yourself until you can verify that you found something of reputable age and pertinece then talk to your Land Owner friend. Get his opinion. If agreed THEN contact the UF Archeaology Dept. Until then "SHUT UP". I've been digging for 49 years. I've had 3 great sites taken from me becuase I wanted to act like a Yahoo and bask in the glory of the limeligt only to get lambasted from every side. !!!
This way you get to keep some sweet finds and keep the peace all the way aound. If your Land Owner friend does not want the UF notified then again SHUT UP and enjoy the rest of the more finds you make. No harm no foul.!!! PEACE:RONB

 

[Blak bart]

Sshhhhhhhhh !!!!!!! Enough said. If you presented me with a legal form I would tell you no and by my own detector. People can figure out a lot with very few details. Im already thinking northeast florida. Once im there you can narrow to augastine Fernandina area, with closest university being u of f. Now I can narrow search by eliminating public land and state and federal parks etc.etc. am I close ? Shhhhhhhhh. Of coarse im nowhere near it.

 

[releventchair]

A site with potential needs a survey/ checking for confirmation on it. Does debris field or relics show at depth they should matching know activity of the era suspected?

Depends on your goal and what you would do with a historic site.
There are those would not have you or I digging a historic site.
When on private land ,they can fly a kite as far as I' m concerned if i have the owners permission.

If I wanted to inform such persons about the site after concluding my interests in it, a record of depth and location of relics from different era' s might help them.
Problem being ,unless just rusted globs ,they( others) would know who had them at one time. I would not be overly inclined to define finds.
Discussion with some in the archaeological field has ,if considered a survey ; not yielded support for any one besides them doing any digging.
Why expose myself to criticism or worse ,being robbed when some one thinks something may exist where I have been ,or currently exist?

 

[Honest Samuel]

I stand my comments in # 5. If treasure hunters do not have written contracts with the owner, then the owner can take all the treasures. You do not have to contact any university before and or after you find treasures.

 

[ncFloridaBum]

G.I.B.'s got a "been there done that" sort of answer that a lot of md'rs can relate to: You research , and envision all sorts of grandeur about your spot. So you are ALREADY scheming on legal stuff, show & tell stuff, friends to invite, contracts, blah blah blah. But lo & behold, your site doesn't pan out for whatever reason. Then any steps and hoops you went through were for nought. And friends and property owner you got riled up are now thinking "what was THAT all about ?".

Thus find a few age indicators (to validate you got a site) , then to the next "what if?" steps

And as for Samuel's advice: keep things informal with property owners (contracts, etc....). Leave it handshake level, UNLESS the property owner requests something in writing. Otherwise, by putting contracts in front of people to sign, is sometimes the fastest way to turn a "yes" to a "no". It only conjures up legal hassles, or "imminent treasures" or whatever.

I was thinking the same thing when I read that. Lol.

I've never found anything on a larger scale than a few coins and relics. And I've only recently found the THcommunity, so my interaction with other hunters has been minimal. I wasn't sure if it would be frowned upon for me to try to cash in on something like this. And I don't consider myself an archeologist by any means so I don't want to be that guy that destroyed a nice piece of history. [emoji23]

As for treasure, I don't realisticly expect to find a motherload cache there. Mostly relics and possibly some coinage and gold. The mission that I believe this one to be was attacked and destroyed by natives, so definitely some personal affects left behind.

I have been to the location already. I didn't inform the owner that I was looking for anything particular, because I honestly didn't expect it to actually be there. I assumed it was wishful thinking on my part. I didn't have any of my equipment because it's a pain to get back there even without a pack. But I did identify wall foundations made from a type of clay mortar and stone, and what appears to be a perimeter mound. I just can't say for certain that it is what I think it is before I find some relics to date it.

The owner is a 'kind of' friend of the family. Money isn't something he is short on, and he's pretty easy going. I think I may tell him about it and offer him a portion of the keep. I suspect he'll laugh and thank me for the offer, then tell me I can keep what I find.

I do know he wouldn't take kindly to the state or university pushing into his land, so would it be wrong of me to keep the secret between him and myself?

I would definitely take pictures and document everything. I would just keep the location under wraps.

.....Oppinion?

 

[ncFloridaBum]

A site with potential needs a survey/ checking for confirmation on it. Does debris field or relics show at depth they should matching know activity of the era suspected?

Depends on your goal and what you would do with a historic site.
There are those would not have you or I digging a historic site.
When on private land ,they can fly a kite as far as I' m concerned if i have the owners permission.

If I wanted to inform such persons about the site after concluding my interests in it, a record of depth and location of relics from different era' s might help them.
Problem being ,unless just rusted globs ,they( others) would know who had them at one time. I would not be overly inclined to define finds.
Discussion with some in the archaeological field has ,if considered a survey ; not yielded support for any one besides them doing any digging.
Why expose myself to criticism or worse ,being robbed when some one thinks something may exist where I have been ,or currently exist?

That is exactly my way of thinking. Thanks. This puts my conscience at ease.

 

[ncFloridaBum]

I stand my comments in # 5. If treasure hunters do not have written contracts with the owner, then the owner can take all the treasures. You do not have to contact any university before and or after you find treasures.

I don't want to involve the university. I just wanted to make sure I wouldn't be breaking some kind of unwritten code by not doing it.
As for a contract, I feel like he would view such a proposition as an insult to his character.

 

[boogeyman]

Have I got this straight? You've located a major find on some guys land that was cool enough to give you permission to search "his land". Wouldn't you think it'd be cool to sit down with him over a brew or cup of coffee and lay it out for him and have enough respect to ask what he'd like to be done on "His land"? Considering the grief it's going to cause him with all the gubermint entities rushing in to claim the site. We all know the archies are going to close the area down for god knows how long. Then if they eminent domain it to make it a monument or park, there goes the a sizeable piece if not all of "his land". Sure! it'd be great to listed as the or one of the discoverers, but what about the respect for the land owner?

 

[ncFloridaBum]

Have I got this straight? You've located a major find on some guys land that was cool enough to give you permission to search "his land". Wouldn't you think it'd be cool to sit down with him over a brew or cup of coffee and lay it out for him and have enough respect to ask what he'd like to be done on "His land"? Considering the grief it's going to cause him with all the gubermint entities rushing in to claim the site. We all know the archies are going to close the area down for god knows how long. Then if they eminent domain it to make it a monument or park, there goes the a sizeable piece if not all of "his land". Sure! it'd be great to listed as the or one of the discoverers, but what about the respect for the land owner?

I am going to tell him what I have POSSIBLY found.

I just don't want to feel like the bad guy from either end of the spectrum.

I definitely wouldn't want him to lose his land, and I know he would be tempted to fight to the death at even the mention of someone legally forcing their way onto his land.

I believe I've made up my mind that I'll keep it between him and myself IF it even turns out to be what I suspect.

I really appreciate the feedback from everyone.