There has been a few times I have been out the past few weeks, but there wasn't too much to show. The places were sound, but not sure the potential was there. I did get a few whatsit items.
There were two cellars on a private property that Kev got. The issue was that it is now frequented by many people for sports so things like bottle tops, pull tabs, and modern coins were coming up all over the place while anything old was just not being found. The other issue was that the owner had moved a lot of dirt around. I stayed by this old pine tree near where the old cellar was. The house was gone before the 1860s because it's not on the map. There is even old footings for a bridge that still exists. The owner said this open area was once trees, and used to be the pasture. Because of the large stones, the area was plowed and the old soil was in a large mound. The far cellar is by the old county road, but it too must have had soil moved. There was virtually no iron, even at the hole.
The short days make for very few hunts during the week. The following weekend we had a really cold and windy Saturday. I went for quantity, not quality. I was thinking the area was overlooked a little because of the entrance to park paths were quite a ways away. This stretch had 4 or so cellars, but apparently they were still pounded sites. Spot #1 on the list actually turned out to be the 3rd one I found. I parked and walked across the street. I found the start of the stone walls and then some syrup taps. Eventually I found an area, but it was trashy. There was a standing dilapidated barn out back. When I mean trashy, I mean litter everywhere. The town lost a lot of people during the depression, and that was the time when dumping was rampant. I couldn't find the actual cellar as I think it was filled in at some point. There was an area with moss and weeds that was flat out front of the barn with different soil. That's prob where it used to be. I walked down a ways to try and find the next one. Iron targets got scarce further away from the filled in hole. I made it to this rock wall and I could see the next hole. Unfortunately there were No trespassing signs. I took a pic to show how ridic close it was to the edge of the property.
I walked back north through the woods. I did find the next cellar around the turn. I wasn't aware the road was changed between the 34 and 60s aerials. There was iron on some rocks. There wasn't much with keepers from there. I did more like a pass through the area trying the heavily used area, but getting right up to the trees, and then going across to the edge of the property. There wasn't much to speak about. Across the way was another road into the park. Apparently when I was heading back to the car I saw a hatchback parked near the cellar. It was gone when I fully left the town so idk if they were there to hike or doing the same as me.
On the way back to the car I did cross the road and stumbled upon hole #1 that I was looking for. It is on the east side of the new road, but was on the west side of the old road. I noticed the double walls inside the woods. It was too overgrown at this one. Only a flattened spoon bowl came up. It was an obvious target so it wasn't hit too hard here, but I just followed the edge of the old road back to the car. I did get a nice signal under a big tree but had to give up on it.
I drove up the road to what is now a snowmobile path. I prob could have made it with the car, but I just parked and walked down. I did find the cellar off to the south. It was hit a little bit but I got some items here. Some mystery item that looks like a brass pulley. I am not quite sure what it is for. The V-grove has scallops or dimples in it and it is about the size of a half dollar. It was on the opposite side of the house as the old driveway next to an old retaining wall. Out back I found a full horse bit. I went up the road to try and find the old mill site. I could only find the footings for an old bridge and more stone work at the top of a small waterfall. Up a ways on the north side of the stream I stumbled upon some more rock walls that lead to a cellar that was not on the map. It looks like there once was an old road out there that was complete to another road. The 1868 map only shows a portion of the road that just ends. Nothing much came up here, but with many sites, I didn't stick to one and try and focus on one spot where good targets would be hiding.
Sunday I went with a guy who owned the property near where I got the belt plate. An email was sent to the assessor to tell me info on property ownership because it is intriguing. There were two cellars out there. The 1868 map had a possible house marked, but only one, and there was no name associated with it. And there being two houses where they would be the same family. That was the interesting part. Unfortunately I only got a few hours there. He does not know of anyone having been there to detect. He does log some of the area and it looks like a lot of dirt was moved. around. The only two non-ferrous things I dug were mason lids. One having the complete ceramic insert. I did bring the GTI for him to use if he wanted to, but he just sat and waited and watched and talked a bit. Being there only a few hours total, and being bugged with phone calls about some furniture hindered things. I didn't stray too far from the cellars kinda because he was around. There was a massive tree I noticed in the far back of the first cellar that I didn't get to check. ugh. The furniture part is for the following week. On the way out I did talk to the guy who owned an 1930s house, where a blacksmith used to be and some older homes that burned throughout the years. He owns about 100 acres and told me his father used to detect at the house. The items he showed me were more like iron relics; snow shoes for horses, log splitting wedges, pitchforks, ect. He took me on his ATV up to the top of the hill as he knew you could see a large part of the state from there.
After BSing for a while, I went back to there I got my largie and white cent. When getting stuff out of the car I was thinking to change tiny coil to the NEL. Because I was rushing as someone wanted me to be home early, I forgot to put it on. Nothing much came up there either. I have to take a pic of the tiny horse shoe that came up. It is small. The coil was getting these really tiny items, but I think I wasn't getting deep enough with it. I was about to throw my machine..... ahem, DAVE.
Tuesday I was told to look into an area. I got all the necessary pics I could. I knew of a nearbly cellar I wanted to hit, just in case. The standing house didn't provide too much. We were told it was done before, but I think the issue was dirt being moved. Even in the far fields there were few targets. They were far between. The quarter I scored by this huge tree....was of course a 1965. A harmonica reed and ox shoe came up. ugh. The other whatsit is either a horse rosette or a bicycle bell cover. I am not sure which and I cannot find anything like it online. It is nice having an eagle head on it. The item is about 2.5" diameter and a little more than 3/4" tall.
Up the road we hit a cellar for a little while. We were having a little issue with the house. I was thinking it was across the old stone wall opening, and I think after coming back and really analyzing the aerial I do see it was there at some point. It is filled now, tho. The barn site was prob too big to fill. There was a ridic amount of iron to sift through. There was a pocket watch glass bezel that came up. Prob stainless steel. We didn't stay too long as it got cold and his batteries ran out.
This weekend I only had a short hunt Friday night. I got one keeper, and it was the last hole I dug. I told myself it was the last hole, and sure enough I got a little luck. It was too dark. It grinds my gears that a crushed bottle top can sound so sweet like a perfect dime, but the good targets are not so stable. The target right before the last one was a crushed bottle top, obviously. They even have the right detect size. Just a few feet away was a less stable target and up came a tiny crotal. It has a strange top than most of them. No tab with a loop. Just some sort of tab that is covered in iron now. This was at a permission site I got my first cowbell at.
Saturday was the only other time I got out since. There was an area where multiple cellars are. I only made it to three. The hunters were out, and unfortunately I didn't have any bright clothing. The lucky part was that they still noticed me and there were people on dirt bikes. They knew to watch out for others, altho when I was near an old mill spot just a little ways away from the road I did get two hunters walking in staring at me and walked slowly by. First I walked by the cellar an mill and ended up where some hunters did park. I backtracked to the original stone walls I saw. There was a cellar hole and a mill across the road, but it looks further south than they were on the old map. And I couldn't find the one that was supposed to be south of it. A nice lantern piece came up along with a few lead pieces by the old well. A huge file too. That one I left on the rocks. Oh, and there were no recent dig holes or iron on the rocks. idky I didn't do better there. It was a small site tho, however there were three levels. One at the top of the cellar, one just down below, and one where it looks like a carriage path into a covered garage existed. I took a pic from below and a pic from above. The panorama pic from above actually folded the main cellar making it look L shaped. Its just rectangular.
After a bit I set my alarm on the phone, which didn't take. I had to be home to get rid of the couches. Someone was supposed to be coming Saturday, after cancelling Thurs due to the rain. It ended up being Sunday she finally came to get them. They were the rent's couches I got duped into housing before they get sold, while they moved away. I couldn't find the old school site. The road was changed a bit in the area but I could only find one more cellar. It had a covered walkout which I have never seen before. The site was pretty pounded but there is more to cover and many more cellars to check.
I wonder if Dan could tell me, or anyone else, why cellars tend to exist in multiples. I know two towns had declines and they might be exceptions, but for some reason there are always like at least 3 cellars in the same area. I just wonder why that one particular area gets left behind. Hopefully the pictures are enjoyable along with the long read, even if there weren't such great finds lately. And hopefully someone can ID the few whatsits.
This is the one with the covered walkout. Seems like it was a wealthier family.
This has nothing to do with the above sites, but I did take a picture of it. The place is near where I intend to hit soon, but I took a pic of this strange formation in the area. It is odd!
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jar lid. Its only nice cuz the condition compared to most. The middle is a regular size shoe. And obvi the left is a large one. The right and middle might actually be the ones pulled up at this site. The little one definitely, but I have just hung them on a railing so far before I think about any electrolysis to hang them in the rec room. I have been a little lazy to empty my backpack for the other mediocre finds like the nice condition lantern piece. 
Originally Posted by GA1dad
