Ethics question....MDing in cemeteries

[NWMOhunter]

I was out doing some geocaching tonight and most of the areas are in old cemeteries. Most of the headstones are from the 1800's and such. What is everyone's stance on hunting a cemetery?

These are all old country cemeteries. I guess its always possible that people lost rings/coins/valuables while there for services or what not. I don't want to do it if it is a big no-no, but if not then I think I'm gonna head out there and hunt it up.

 

[Blockade Runner]

You will be the guy that has done every bad thing to any cemetery within a 50 mile radius of where you live.

 

[ohio fred]

n/t

 

[Oak]

n/t

 

[awhitster]

When I first got my detector, a non-MDer gave me a "hot" tip. He said to detect cemeteries. I told him I don't think that would be the right thing to do. But it doesn't hurt to think about all the treasure that is buried there. RIP

 

[DavHut]

Cemetaries are technically public property - at least publicly accessible. This holds true even for "private" cemetaries and I don't think anyone could make a trespass case against you for paying your respects to the dead.

On the other hand, country cemetaries are going to be viewed by the living as sacred ground and most likely your activites there will be veiewed as obnoxious, to say the least. A good point was made for you being a "desecrator," should any harm be done or have been done in the area.

Many have hit cemetaries, most ahve siad there wasnt much to find. I wouldnt bother, considering the issues at hand.

 

[John 'n' W.Va]

You will never catch me walking into a cemetery to MD, because it may bother people. We don't need negative pr. I respect the living, but dead(there bodies) return to the dirt. Who knows, someday they may dig up the bones and display them in a museum.
Other then that I have no problem about MDing in a cemetery. As of last week I came upon about 5 old tome stones in the woods. There were no fences and the little stones were very well hidden in the brush. They were all about a 1 1/2 ft. tall. Didn't find a thing. Family told me there were a lot more stones there but people must have taken them as souvenirs. There are many thousands of little cemeteries like that in the WVa. woods.

 

[Terry in PA]

A friend of mine hunted along the edge of a road going into the cemetery
and found a good many silver coins. He didn't go anywhere near the grave sites just along both sides of the road running in to the cemetery
He said that people getting in and out of car's would drop some coins and he was right.

 

[Uncle Willy]

To most MD'ers it is an absolute no no and it's lousy PR for our hobby.

Bill

 

[Uncle Willy]

Some places have laws on the books against desecrating a cemetery. Many are privately owned. I used to work in a huge cemetery in the Midwest called Valhalla Memorial Park. It and several others around the country were owned by a corporation and digging there would get you jail time.

Bill

 

[deerman]

i know back in the old days in W.V. It was practiced of having picnics in the cem. to be with your all your family not just the living, as i have detected in some cemeteries but i have asked the grounds keeper first and did well on old coins and such,You can tell how old the plot is by the response over the grave site too(old grave no response due to it being a wood casket,Newer grave caskets are metal lined and will give a response)
So ask the grounds keeper first, he might also ask you to find some plot markers for him too

 

[Bill G]

[quote Uncle Willy]To most MD'ers it is an absolute no no and it's lousy PR for our hobby.

Bill[/quote


I agree Bill,

Take Care, HH
Bill G

 

[Parkit]

UUuuugghhhh. That's a little much for me. Yeah, I can imagine there might be some old coins, like big fat silver dollars covering the eyeballs of the deceased and no, I don't think it would be worth it. I can see digging around the OUTSKIRTS, maybe an old road leading to the place, certainly a church yard while keeping a respectable distance from the cemetary, but personally you wouldn't catch me dead digging in a cemetary. DOH!

Steve

 

[Uncle Willy]

No, if you were caught dead you'd be part of the general population.

Bill

 

[wichita6]

A friend who I use to detect with, MD'ed an old civil war cemetery in Georgia. He found a haul of items and found out that the men died there on the spot where they were buried. I told him that I didn't want to go with him because basically I'm chicken #@&*T and I suggested that he should respect the men that had fallen. About 6 months later his wife divorced him and not long after that he was diagnosed with a rare disease(same one the elephant man had something like nero-fibermentosis)then he lost his job and three weeks later he drove off the road drunk and died. I have since then avoided anything close to a church or cemetery...I have enough bad luck as it is.
wichita

 

[John 'n' W.Va]

The dead is dead and have nothing to do with this world, except the effigy they left behind. It is the living that concern me. For respect of the living I don't MD public cemeteries. If I happen upon one in the woods no big deal. Some here in WVa. are so obscure, you would be in one and not know it. If you want to paint visions in your mind of MDing and plucking coins off of corpse's bodies. I wish I had your MDer that can go down 6 ft, but I only scratch the surface. One place we call the oaks, we squirrel hunt sitting on the tombstones of an old grave yard. I haven't MDed it, but I am sure I would find a lot of brass casings. I don't believe in good luck or bad luck, although I may use the terms loosely. I believe in what you sow you will reap. The Bible says the the body is only a container for the soul. When a person dies the soul moves on. If we respect the bones so much, why do we dig them up and put them in a museum? In many people's minds death is a mystery. Death is part of living. It isn't that big of a deal to me. It's going to happen and when it does you can do what you want with my bones. I sure don't need them anymore. It is the quality of life and what we do with it that is most important to me. I can't do anything about the dead. I wish people had more respect for the living and compassion for those who are less fortunate.

 

[deerman]

n/t