I was recently granted permission to metal detect on a low lying field next to railroad tracks where Jackson shuttled 16,000 troops across the mountains. Looking around, this field is one of the only flat area troops in transition could have camped out. I started hunting with the 11" coil (intentions to go back with the 17" afterwards).
Around the edges there are many hits of soda cans and stuff. Toward the center of the field there are almost no hits at all. So I started by bisecting the field and worked cris-crossing the field center out. As I was going along I finally hit something that read: 4" and indications in the lower right of the screen. With target trace there were indications up and down the right half of the screen. I started digging and digging, the hole getting deeper and larger. Finally about 14" down in hard Virginia clay there was a cigarette sign. Under the sign I found these two bottles. When digging the bottles out without breaking them, I came across a lot of other glass pieces and chunks of metal, some nails, etc. The hole grew to 2' diameter and 21" deep. This is about the depth I found the last bottle (with metal top and some clear liquid still in there). Looks like I possibly came across an old dump site. I'm pretty unknowledgeable about bottles, but when I looked these up I think they are 1960 or earlier.
Can't wait to see what else is there. Problem is, I fill in the hole every night (safety for the cattle). Need to spend a long day out there.
I will post pictures once I can figure out the rigamarole of downsizing to upload again.
Around the edges there are many hits of soda cans and stuff. Toward the center of the field there are almost no hits at all. So I started by bisecting the field and worked cris-crossing the field center out. As I was going along I finally hit something that read: 4" and indications in the lower right of the screen. With target trace there were indications up and down the right half of the screen. I started digging and digging, the hole getting deeper and larger. Finally about 14" down in hard Virginia clay there was a cigarette sign. Under the sign I found these two bottles. When digging the bottles out without breaking them, I came across a lot of other glass pieces and chunks of metal, some nails, etc. The hole grew to 2' diameter and 21" deep. This is about the depth I found the last bottle (with metal top and some clear liquid still in there). Looks like I possibly came across an old dump site. I'm pretty unknowledgeable about bottles, but when I looked these up I think they are 1960 or earlier.
Can't wait to see what else is there. Problem is, I fill in the hole every night (safety for the cattle). Need to spend a long day out there.
I will post pictures once I can figure out the rigamarole of downsizing to upload again.
