This is something I've never really mentioned here on AAV but can be pertinent while we're out there exploring our American wilderness. When ever I'm at a spot for more than one day and if there's history about and no major detecting restrictions, I like to look for buried treasure. Wether in the form of old old bottles and ceramic marbles, square nails to jewelry and coins, I love history. I also do a lot of river searching in full scuba gear for relics and I have an underwater detector made by Garrett. It's an AT Pro and is submersible up to ten feet. There are many accessories to add to your kit as well, like H20 proof headphones, pin pointers, magnets, picks, relic bags and so on. It's really a fun hobby and it gets me off my lazy butt outside in the sunshine and gets me much needed exercise. Plus it can be very rewarding and not just because of what we find but also because we do extensive research on historical locations including river fords(crossings), battlefields, ferry crossings, homesteads and so on. It's a hobby I've really come to love. Is there anyone else out there in adventure land into detecting? If so what's your interest and what do you use?
This house was built in 1847 near one of the earliest thoroughfares in Western NC. Plus they had a visit from Union General George Stoneman during the Civil War whilst raiding and destroying much of western NC's infrastructure to make life more difficult for the Confederate army. I got permission from the owners whom apparently have mutual friends of mine, Awesome! I brought along my little elf helper and a buddy. They found some clad and a few older pennies. I found a green Quarter two pennies and my first ever silver Mercury 1945 D. So excited I finally found a silver coin. To anybody else it has an approximate value of $1.50. To me, it's priceless!
This is another Inn that sits along the old Drover's Road, also known as the Buncombe Turnpike
The Buncombe Turnpike travelled along the French Broad River through North Carolina's mountains to what is now the state line between NC and TN. It was built between 1824 and 1828 along the old Drovers' Road. This route connected with the 19th century resort town of Hot Springs, NC and Knoxville, TN with eastern Piedmont communities.
The Turnpike was the main road in the area prior to the highway and interstates. The Drover's road dates to the 1780's and the Inn dates back to the mid to late 1860's. I got permission from the homeowner to metal detect and drop some magnets down the hand dug well, and there's an even older cabin up the mountain and what's left of an ancient barn. Across the street at the rivers edge was the ferry that crossed the river in this area. What a cool old home full of American history. I'll be heading over there after the snows clear and the ground thaws next week. Wet soil is excellent for great audible signals of hidden treasures... http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/nchist-newnation/4304
The last couple of days finds including a bunch of tokens and four pennies two of which are Wheaties. A very unusual reversed imprinted metal buckle or plate(?) a large Machine Pin, a decorated Lead strap and in the last photo, I dropped a Neodium magnet on a rope down into the well and pulled up the hinged 'W'. I'm guessing the top part of a music stand? There was more but I need to bring more magnets to haul up some heavier items. This is from the Inn, in my last post.
Treasure hunting in Louisiana. I had learned about three Civil War battle sites in south central Louisiana while I was visiting my mom in New Iberia. They were: the Battle of Bisland, the Battle of Irish Bend and another smaller one near the town of Patterson. I also attended a talk from the author of the book Teche, A History of Louisiana's most Famous Bayou by Shane K. Bernard. He is the Cuator and Historian for the McIlhenny Company that makes Tobasco Sauce.
On this trip I learned so much more about our family history in the area and about the first settlers and pioneers of those early days. My own ties go back to 1791 but the original people that first explored the area were there around 1750. This area is so absolutely rich in cultural treasures. I of course went back to the first plantation named the Enterprise. It is still an active mill and the family business now owns and operates two more mills. Sterling in Franklin where the Battle of Irish Bend took place and lastly Raceland between Patterson and New Orleans. After visiting the Enterprise, I went over to my cousins house in Franklin. That antebellum house was built in 1851. I did some detecting in their yard before heading to the Irish Bend site. Around the time of the battle General Taylor of the Confederate army whom commanded the West Louisiana Army defended against a much larger force led by General Banks of the Union Army. There is a small museum located along the bayou dedicated to the civil war and battles that took place in the vicinity. The museum is called the Young – Sanders Center; for the study of the war between the states in Louisiana Inc.
They have a number of small arms including rifles pistols swords and artillery ammunition as well as a edition of a newspaper. The town once taken over by the union, they could not get any paper so it was printed on the back of wallpaper. At the battle of Irish Bend I managed to find a small pistol caliber bullet which may or may not be modern modern as well as some small gauge railway spikes and interesting large screws for the Rail road line that used to go through here and was also used to bring sugarcane to the mills. From what I understand that field had been highly metal detected by people in the area for quite some time so I was lucky to find what I did. I did also find a broken mule horseshoe and a ring off of a harness. It was insanely muddy out there. Louisiana is great for its sugar cane but it creates wonderful thick sticky clay mud. I never did make it to the battle of Bisland, but I did go to the one down by Patterson. It was there that I managed to find quite a few things including a number of musket and rifle bullets both Union and Confederate. Normally most battle sites are protected by the government unless of course they're located on private land. The great thing about this is all that private land is owned by our family corporation. And so I had permission. I also visited a local metal detectorist who lives in the area and he showed me his vast collection of civil war related items both found and purchased.
I'm going to try and share all of these photographs and there are quite a few. I may not be able to load them all tonight but I will over the next few days as my Internet connection lasts.
My cousins home in Franklin, a Magnolia, Sterling Mill, Wheat penny, Indian head penny, bullet or a sinker? Even the experts are baffled. I have a bunch more pix of it, but each picture takes me up to 4 minutes to load on here.
Hello everybody!
I'm amazed by your findings, i've just started to be interested in metal detecting and i'm looking for my first detector!
Can anyone give me an advice? I read an article http://tenrows.com/metal-detectors/ , there is the big list of models and good comparison, but i think i need an advice for make right final decision