I've been doing a little research (winter is PERFECT for that) and stumbled on an old farmhouse.... VERY old.
We've been curious for years when we drive by the homestead, but we KNOW there are lots of iron signals there. HAS to be. So, we never really give it a second thought.... I know in a heartbeat Krom would turn around if I told him, Go back... I'm gonna ask. But the words never left my lips.
The first inital contact happened a couple months ago, but it wasn't the time to talk detecting.
I know the family name of the farm up the road from this old farmhouse, so I knew it had to be connected (same last name).
The old farmhouse is original with enough upgrades to keep it standing and liveable. Seriously.
The place is definitely from the late 1700s, at least.
The guy living in it is the son of the farmer up the road.
I happened to cross paths with him today, said hi, asked how he was, and he said he was laid off from work.
I told him I thought he worked on his parents' farm.
He told me the farm went out of business years ago but there are a couple guys mowing the fields.
So... here's the ice breaker... I said, "h. I'm sorry. I didn't know. I was wondering who owned or ran the fields because I'd like to do some metal detecting out there. My husband and I just do it for fun.
He broke me off and said he didn't think it would be a problem.
My grandfather, who lived in the house I live in now, used to find Indian Arrowheads after he tilled the fields. They'd be laying on top of the ground.
I told the guy I had been curious about it. Arrowheads are stone, but we'd be looking for metal. I'm sure there's a lot of trash out there and any trash we find we remove ~ we don't leave anything out there so you wouldn't have a mess.
The guy told me again he didn't think it'd be a problem, but I asked him to check with his parents and let me know. He said he'd have an answer for me on Thursday. He also offered the information of an early indian settlement being on the property.
We double checked on some old maps...... The old farmhouse (where the guy lives in his grandparents' old house) is on an 1812 map. I'm sure this place has been in the family since the beginning, so they'll be able to give us the full history of the place.
I'm tossing this info out here because it's a simple research project. I happened to know of the family and know who the guy was, and I waited for the right opportunity to inquire. I knew the property was old, I knew it was on a very old map, but I didn't know the extent of its history. I had no further need to learn more because I knew it was part of the earliest settlements in the area, so I knew I wanted to detect it. I know there's 1700s stuff on the land, and I'm sure there's tons of iron signals.
We look at old maps all the time. We keep places of interest in our minds and when the opportunity arises, we inquire. Or, if it's a place we want to detect NOW, we'll inquire but we're not excited about knocking on the doors of strangers.
As far as this place goes, I'm not sure I'll even get permission. And if I do, I don't think lots of people would be welcomed. I'd love to be able to plan a group hunt here, but I don't see that happening. Like I said... I'm tossing it out because it's an easy research project. And yours can be just as easy. Should I have stopped and asked permission years ago? Yes. Why didn't I? Because I'm shy. This way worked for me. If we are able to detect it, I'll share some finds this spring.