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View Full Version : New park, virgin farm discovered!



Digger_O'Dell
10-20-2016, 04:36 AM
Hi all,
Been wanting to get out but been out sick for a while. It was bad enough just getting through work. But Monday afternoon was beautiful, and the woman and I were feeling a bit better after some rest. So we decided to hit a newer park nearby just to get outside for a bit.
Once we arrived we met someone walking their dog who told about an old farm that used to be by the river and gave us directions to it. After walking down the paved path a bit and then turning on a mowed stretch of turf, about 100 yards down we spotted some footings and other signs of buildings there. I dropped my coil near one of the footings and got a bouncy 12-32 at 3 inches on the first swing. Shallow, but being a new site I dug it. Lo and behold, I got a key ring with 3 more modern looking keys and my first skeleton key!
About 30 feet from that spot I picked up another old key which I researched and found was from about 1902 to maybe the late 20s or so. After this it was a lot of melted aluminum slop, building materials, copper and brass items, and tons of nails.
Headed next to the river I hit a 3 wheatie spill, the oldest being a 1936. In total I only found 4 wheats, some clad, but no silver. Lastly, I found an old brass flat key operated padlock, Lucky Brand, and an Indian theme key fob which reads "Thank you from the American Indian Children"
Headed out near dark I was swinging at the edge of the park by the woods where I got out deep 12-36. Thinking maybe a good coin I dug it. Well, the hole got really deep before I hit the target and was very surprised to see an old cap gun. Rechecking the hole, I also located the barrel to have my first complete cap gun, even though it's pretty rough. But checking the name I found it was a high end toy from the early 50s, pretty rare and very collectable if in good condition.
Still have a lot more area to cover at this park, and warrants many return trips. The odd part is researching the site after my visit, the maps show a building on the 1950 map, but nothing prior. But many of the items found seem to indicate a homestead much older, such as the skeleton key and some square nails. Hoping to eventually figure out this mystery.

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OxShoeDrew
10-20-2016, 05:28 AM
Nice old site you have there...I remember having skeleton keys and regular keys on the same key ring. I've only ever found four or five skeletons. Yours is in good shape too!

Digger_O'Dell
10-20-2016, 05:33 AM
Thanks Drew, it cleaned up pretty nice. I also was able to locate a 1932 aerial photo of of the site and can plainly see buildings and roads that are not on the older topographic maps. Think someone got lazy and didn't update those maps for decades.

aloldstuff
10-20-2016, 05:58 AM
This site sounds like you are going to have a lot of fun there. Some nice digs so far. Congrats on the wheat's and the cap gun, to bad it came in two pieces. Skeleton keys are always great. Keep us posted on your upcoming hunts there. :thumbsup02:

wisconsin digger
10-20-2016, 08:18 AM
Nice digs. Was planning a trip tomorrow but my destination had a ban on detectors. Been awhile since I came across that. Plan on heading north now instead of west. Good luck on the new site. WD

Digger_O'Dell
10-20-2016, 08:17 PM
One more find. Thought it was more junk aluminum until I cleaned it up, only because of its shape. Found "Germany" stamped on one side. Maybe a spoon handle? Don't recall seeing aluminum eating utensils before.

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Edit: District more research and found aluminum flatware was popular from around the 1880s to maybe the late 20s. Apparently it was a rare and very expensive commodity until a better refining process was discovered.

MangoAve
10-21-2016, 12:48 PM
That last one is definitely a spoon handle. Idk. With the lucky tokens I have found from the 70s that look like crap I didn't expect a spoon handle in the ground for 100-140 yrs would look that good after cleaning.
Nice skeleton key. I'm still looking for one. I had no idea it was common to have those on the same ring as modern tumbler keys. Man, Drewsy, must be old. That pendant reminds me of the 40's/50's infatuation with the wild west.
Not scared of that snake? hahaha

Lodge Scent
10-22-2016, 10:29 AM
Very nice. Cool to see the skeleton key on the same ring with more modern style keys.

The Rebel
10-22-2016, 12:32 PM
WTG on the finds & the new old spot!