How to Recognize Old Places

Finding old stuff with a metal detector should be easy, right? Just go to old places? If we were to break it down to the bare bones basics, yes, that’s what you need to do. However, finding old places that contain old things is way harder than it looks on paper. Sure, you can drive around town and look for old houses but do you know what “old houses” look like? Would you be able to tell the difference between a remodeled house built in 1880 versus a house that was built in 2015?

Now, don’t get me wrong, I’ve found some sweet stuff hunting old houses, but if you want to get some seriously cool booty, you’re going to want to learn how to find where old houses/towns used to be. And when it comes to tracking these long-standing locations where people have no doubt lost their coins and other valuables, the older the better. In my book “The Metal Detecting Bible” I discuss in intricate detail how to identify old properties and subtle nuances of structures/landscapes to better ID the date range of the property you’re thinking about detecting. Being able to look at a landscape or structure and estimate with moderate accuracy the time frame of human activity that took place there, is an important part of knowing what your potential finds will be. Conversely, recognizing what time period your finds are from will give you a good idea of what other coins and artifacts might be present. But all of this starts by narrowing down a region of interest, identifying the property ownership/accessibility and of course, gaining permission if needed.

The Internet is my number one resource when looking for places to detect. Depending on where you live, websites like HistoricMapworks.com can provide you with detailed historic maps of your area. In other cases, you might have to use the archives at your local university. I use the digitized historic maps to provide an overlay on top of the satellite imagery provided by Google Earth. Using the transparency function on Google Earth’s toolbar, I can then toggle between the historic map and the satellite imagery, revealing where old towns, homesteads, hotels, stores, stage stops, etc., were in relation to today’s topography. I mark all the potential sites I’ve found with WayPoints, or “pins,” in Google Earth and then I import the waypoint KML files into my handheld GPS unit. The Minelab CTX 3030 and GPZ 7000 have integrated GPS, so you can download the WayPoints directly to the detector using the XChange 2 PC app. The WayPoints are then displayed on the detector’s map screen. Once I’ve got the coordinates loaded into the GPS or the detector, it’s just a matter of physically getting to the site.

Before you just show up and start detecting, you’re going to want to make sure you’re allowed. Be sure to research your local rules and restrictions regarding detecting in the areas of interest. If the sites you’re interested in are on private property, you’re going to need permission. I use a couple different resources to find out the current status of land ownership. The first is ReportAllUSA.com/map. Please keep in mind, while this website only pertains to the US, there are most likely similar sites designed for your geographic area. Use this website to zoom into points of interest to reveal information on land ownership. The second is a mobile app version of the same thing (iOS only) called LandGlide. These sites/apps will tell you if it’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM), forest service, or private property. The third is a GPS chip sold through GPS manufacturers like Garmin. The chip allows users to view property ownership in real time while referencing the users location. In the event the land is privately owned, ReportAllUSA.com, LandGlide and GPS chips will provide you with the current owner’s name.

If the property is unoccupied, a quick Google search of the landowner’s name and the county or state you suspect them to be residing in will usually turn up either an address or a phone number. So suck it up and put on your game face—it’s time to convince a total stranger to let you metal detect on their property. Next blog we’ll discuss exactly how to increase your odds of gaining permissions! 

For a more in depth look at identifying old properties and high yield areas, check out chapter 4 “How to Recognize Old Places” of my book “The Metal Detecting Bible” available at https://www.amazon.com/Metal-Detecting-Bible-Helpful-Treasures/dp/1612435270 and at all major retailers.

Don’t forget to check out my YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/user/DrTones24k for more metal detecting adventures.

Let’s get lost!   

Brandon “Dr. Tones” Neice