trying to do some research to no avail.....

[antibeous]

everybody I'm trying to do some research of the area I'm from ( Lincoln county of West Virginia) and am having no luck what so ever. is there some where on the net that you guys get info from that you can tell me about without giving up any of your secrets. any help is going to be appreciated


also on a lighter note this stupid thing made my heart skip a beat before I knocked the dirt off of it to see it was just a washer. at this point a Kennedy half would set me sailing

 

[MNCoinhunter]

Go to your local library or talk to some of the older folk in town if you are searching for good hunting spots. Your state, and that area of the country in general, is rich in history.

 

[Mick in Dubbo]

Hi Antibeous.
Like McDave said, the library is a good start. Get hold of copies the of the local paper for as far back as they can go. It might be on micro fish. By looking through there, you might find some clues as to where festivals and celebrations were held in those days, plus some clues out of left field that you may not have even thought about. Charles Garrett has written some good books on how to think when it comes to hunting old spots. Well worth the read. I live in Australia, but I have seen guys post here from time to time, about getting using your local City Hall for info ie old maps and the names of property owners of spots you may want to hunt. I have seen links to websites that are dedicated "old map" sites that will help you locate old ghost towns etc posted on a couple of the Findmall forums, from time to time. Typing in 'old maps' in the search engine above, might help you to find those links.
BTW. That washer you found, reminded me of a find that looked just like it, that was made only a few weeks ago by an Aussie, only 2 hours down the road from where I live. The guy found what he thought was a washer (that had been hit by a pick from another detectorist) and put it in his finds bag so that he could take a better look at it when he got home. His wife suggested that he throw the 'washer away' as it was only another piece of junk. On cleaning up the washer, he found that it was in fact a Holey Dollar, with a guesstimate worth of US $250 000!!!!! Not a bad piece of junk! I heard about it from a chap who has seen the coin in question. He sold the detector (an X-Terra705) to the chap that made the find. The coin is in a bank volt somewhere. Moral of the story, if in doubt, don't throw it out.
Some folk find that doing the research for new sites has it's own excitement and enjoyment that they find as enjoyable, as the detecting part. It becomes, part of the chase. It creates good luck. After all, good luck is only 'opportunity with preparation'.
Mick Evans.

 

[fongu]

Check your county and local history at the library. The county where I used to live had one book on the first eighty years and a second volume on the next 50 years.

If I want to go back any further, I have to check the history of the 2-4 counties it was created from. The local historical society or genealogy people might hold monthly meetings and this might help you with your research.

I missed the last meeting at the local library and I regret it. You never know when you will find some clue to an old place and make some good finds.

 

[murfar1]

You might want to take a look at the Maps and Mapping Forum on this web site. Quite a bit of info on research.

 

[Orion42]

You can also look at Google Earth and look at the areas you're interested in. Sometimes things stand out there.

John

 

[blade310]

McDave and Mick have given you some good advice. not much I can add except maybe a local book store. Up until this past winter we had a book store at the mall here in town. they carried half a dz books on this town. I bought one and constantly kick myself for not buying more before the bookstore closed. I have learned alot about past events and different areas worth detecting. I am still learning the history of my town and getting some good leads at the same time. for instance there used to be an amusement park here on the out skirts of town. was opened in 1925 and closed in 1929 when so many other places went under. I am in the process of tracking down the current owner of the property right now. also talk to people. I have gotten several good leads from people I work with. Have fun and good luck!!!!

 

[cc8137]

Try this site www.wvamaps.com It will give you enough to keep you digging for a long time. You can thank me later

 

[antibeous]

why dont I go ahead and thank you all now. I've been a member of several hunting forums both air rifle and bow hunting and let me be the first to tell you that people on those forums have no patience. Im glad to finally be a member of a forum that is exactly the opposite of my past experiences

thanks guys, your a great bunch for sure.

Anthony