Relic Hunting

Sounds like you had a good trip... and good huntin..
At a campsite, you are unlikely to find any human remains and unlikely to find fired bullets that have hit men either...

Is there some sort of mapping done to show where the objects were found? Do you work from an assigned grid or just wander around...I don't mean that to sound flippant... but i guess I don't know of a better phrase that would describe what I mean..

Ed
 
Camp Hunting

Ed,

No assignments (and your comment didn't sound flippant). Some guys started off working the huts and stayed there almost all weekend. The guys working the privy never strayed away. Us surface diggers however wandered about like aimless puppies until we hit a target then hammered that area until there was nothing left to dig. Actually, the surface diggers try to appraise the ground and determine where the soldiers would have been prone to hang around. Areas shielded from the wind by ridges in winter camps, or areas in the cooling breezes in summer areas are generally good starting points.

Locations were recorded according to the field... Hansborough Ridge, East Corn Field, West Corn Field, etc.

TomH
 
I must add that most detorists do not or have not come across human bones. If they did, I surely would hope that they did the correct thing. As far as recovering an item lets say a Silver Id badge. I would make EVERY effort to find out who the soldier was and track down an ancestor of that soldier to contact and turn that badge over to them, but thats just me. If I can track down the owner of ANY item ive found, I will do all that I can. I have not recovered such a badge or the likes but if I did the pleasure of returning to proper owner and a simple pic of my find makes me ok with it. I sleep well at night.I have tracked down and returned a High School Ring that I dug once.
 
I did not know this was even legal. I went on an archaeology dig this summer and the guy in charge said that unless a professional archaeologist is accompanying you and you have permission to dig, you can't dig anywhere. I don't mean to be offensive but as I said, I didn't know "relic hunting" was even legal.

More in line with the thread, I do not see anything wrong with digging at these sites provided laws and ethics are followed. It is wrong to dig just to find something to sell on ebay but it is fine to dig in order to find something that will be beneficial to the study of history, etc.
 
I did not know this was even legal. I went on an archaeology dig this summer and the guy in charge said that unless a professional archaeologist is accompanying you and you have permission to dig, you can't dig anywhere. I don't mean to be offensive but as I said, I didn't know "relic hunting" was even legal.

More in line with the thread, I do not see anything wrong with digging at these sites provided laws and ethics are followed. It is wrong to dig just to find something to sell on ebay but it is fine to dig in order to find something that will be beneficial to the study of history, etc.
The archeologist is wrong if you are on private property and have permission to search it, you can dig anywhere....National Parks are entirely off limits however....
 
The archeologist is wrong if you are on private property and have permission to search it, you can dig anywhere....National Parks are entirely off limits however....

I think I remember him saying National Parks were off limits. Even with private property though, he said you had to have an archaeologist with you and permission from the relevant authorities. He said that you can't even do an archaeology dig on your own property unless these conditions were met. Maybe it's a state thing then?
 
I think I remember him saying National Parks were off limits. Even with private property though, he said you had to have an archaeologist with you and permission from the relevant authorities. He said that you can't even do an archaeology dig on your own property unless these conditions were met. Maybe it's a state thing then?

I am pretty sure that is a state issue. I have a BIL in rhode Island and it is a big deal there. If you want to dig for any reason... foundation for a house, well, etc... an archaeologist must be present and god help you if any native American artifacts are found. You will be tied up in court forever
 
"Dig" needs defining. I don't see where relic hunters are in any peril of digging deep enough to unearth anything sacred. I'd guess bullets, buckles and badges are seldom more than six-inches deep.
 
"Dig" needs defining. I don't see where relic hunters are in any peril of digging deep enough to unearth anything sacred. I'd guess bullets, buckles and badges are seldom more than six-inches deep.

Well, that may be, but you have to get past the first 6 inches in order to go deeper, don't cha? And if it is an old cemetery or native burial ground or other ceremonial spot, it may be much deeper. Bottom line is that in RI, digging must be at least observed. I am certain exemptions exist.. agriculture, flower and vbegetable gardens and others...
 
"Dig" needs defining. I don't see where relic hunters are in any peril of digging deep enough to unearth anything sacred. I'd guess bullets, buckles and badges are seldom more than six-inches deep.

Most of the detectors today get about 9-10 inches depth, some of the real high dollar units are gettin about 14 inches. So you are correct Ole. Some people dig campsites, hut sites and latrines. They keep cutting inches off and detecting as they go. The soldiers were NOT burying people in campmfires,latrines , or huts... but they sure did lose or throw alot of items in all of the above. I myself have witnessed a hut dig with good results, but thats too much work for me. Im content diggin what my detector can find.
 
larry_cockerham,
......for example, less than 5 percent of the Gettysburg NPS collection is displayed.....
TomH

I suggest checking out the "Military Museum" down the street from the entrance to the visitor's center. It is privately owned and displays a *lot* of incredible stuff from WWI, WWII, Civil War, etc.

larry_cockerham,
....at Brandy Rock in Culpepper, VA we disposed of several large bags of trash (and about four tons of iron debris) that was found on the farm during the three days of excavating. ....TomH

One person's iron debris might turn out to be someone else's treasured relic. I wish I had had a chance to look through the four tons of "iron debris". Even rusted pieces of unidentifiable iron can be valuable to a smith repairing period stuff or making decorative pieces that have a touch of sentimental value.
 
You all have great points.. I myself think its best to stay away from the battlefields... Relic hunting in a battle field is like taking flowers off a dead mans grave, its just wrong, but as far as private land goes, were an encampment may have been, i see no problem with that.. Also on battlefields, if theres for say a minnie ball laying on the top soil, id have no problem bringing it home, but id definantly not metal detect or dig around a battlefield...
 
You all have great points.. I myself think its best to stay away from the battlefields... Relic hunting in a battle field is like taking flowers off a dead mans grave, its just wrong, but as far as private land goes, were an encampment may have been, i see no problem with that.. Also on battlefields, if theres for say a minnie ball laying on the top soil, id have no problem bringing it home, but id definantly not metal detect or dig around a battlefield...

If the battlefield is owned by the NPS, you are not allowed even posession of a metal detector. If caught actually using one, you can expect to get to know a federal magistrate on an uncomfortable basis
 
If the battlefield is owned by the NPS, you are not allowed even posession of a metal detector. If caught actually using one, you can expect to get to know a federal magistrate on an uncomfortable basis

And you can say goodbye to your car if you had the detector in it, and you can also say goodbye to any relics in your house unless you can actually prove where you dug them at...
 
And you can say goodbye to your car if you had the detector in it, and you can also say goodbye to any relics in your house unless you can actually prove where you dug them at...

At last, I find myself agreeing with Wilbur and the feds :smile:

If you REALLY want to twist the tail of the feds to see just how nasty they can be, open an indian burial mound.
there are numerous mounds around my hometown of Florence, Alabama, and the feds make no bones about it... leave them alone!
 
Twelve years old I found a Spanish doubloon on Rogers Island in Fort Edward NY. while wandering up the road waiting for dad who was having a couple with the boys at the Idle Hour Club. I presented it to my father telling him I found it beside the road. Well! it started a thirty year argument between the landowner of much of the island, the town,and the club. It ended up,with no decision made on ownership in the Old Fort House Museum started by my Great Uncle after he donated the house and outbuildings to the Village. www.ftedward.com/history/oldfort/oldfort.htm
 
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