A short hunt in a corn field...

[Phil]

took my F70 and 6in coil to a corn field a 1/2 mile from my house and hunted a home site from the 1860's. The wind was bitter cold so I didn't last very long before heading back to the car. Managed to find 2 IH pennies, an 1865 and an 1859 "fattie". Yesterday at the same site I got another IH and a large cent with my MXT. I'm hoping the weather warms a little or at least the wind dies down and I can really give this site a good going over.

 

[tvr]

Looks like you found a great spot to hunt!

 

[dahut]

... you've obviously found a sweet spot, as tvr suggests. It would seem that you are the ONLY one, too, since you have found all those old coppers.
Unless another has cherrypicked the silver (unlikely), you have a site any of us would envy. Congrats!

But your good fortune doesn't end there... that site is not going anywhere. If it doesn't warm up, you now know where it is and can approach it at your leisure.
So whatever the weather, you know you got a "hot spot." The initiative is all yours!!

Now I wonder, just what led you to that spot. What did you learn or luck up on that led you there?

 

[John 'n' W.Va]

n/t

 

[John 'n' W.Va]

Looks like you have a lot to look forward to. That's nice. If you need any help let me know.

 

[XLT-user]

n/t

 

[Phil]

I use plat maps from 1865, 1874 and 1909 to find home sites. I also have a new plat book so I can find out who presently owns the land if I don't already know. The maps aren't very precise so you have to hunt the high ground in a field to find most of the home sites. Then you start listening for the debris field of the home site and looking for brick, glass or broken dishware that is typical of these sites. There are lots of these sites around, if you don't have old plat maps to locate them all you have to do is talk to the man that farms the land. A farmer can tell you every place on his land where you see brick, glass and other home debris. I hadn't planned on hunting the corn field until next year when it was in soybeans but I wanted to look someplace close to home. I try not to hunt corn fields any more than I have to as they are much harder to swing a coil in than a bean field. I've got 4 home sites located in a corn field behind my home that will be the souce of some good hunting next year when the field is planted in beans.

 

[jim tn]

n/t

 

[dahut]

And thanks to you for sharing your methods.

So many people answer the HOW question by simply saying "...research," or some other vague comment.
Naturally, they are evasive in order to protect what they think is "their spot," or figure they "aint gonna give away nothing" - if you want it, go find out yourself.

Which is, of course, no help at all to we fellow seekers.

So again, I thank you for being forthright.

 

[tvr]

Yes, thanks Phil! I pasted your plats and site observations hints into a document I keep on detecting tips.

I found out today that a co-worker has a few acres that has an old house site believed to date to about 1890. Their new house is on the slope facing south, south-east. The old site is at the top of the knoll. Reported to be all overgrown field, but another co-worker and I now have permission to hunt it. It is about an hour away from home, but only half an hour from work. Something else I need to find time to do!
tvr

 

[dahut]

Yes, thanks Phil! I pasted your plats and site observations hints into a document I keep on detecting tips.

I found out today that a co-worker has a few acres that has an old house site believed to date to about 1890. Their new house is on the slope facing south, south-east. The old site is at the top of the knoll. Reported to be all overgrown field, but another co-worker and I now have permission to hunt it. It is about an hour away from home, but only half an hour from work. Something else I need to find time to do!
tvr

Nice problem to have.