Monday, January 25, 2016
Thursday, April 4, 2013
The Escrick Ring
Michael Greenhorn, a member of the York and District Metal Detecting Club, found a gold and saphire ring in a farmer's field in April of 2009.
Greenhorn, a metal detector enthusiast, stumbled across the ornate piece of jewelry, adorned with a large sapphire and measuring close to 1 inch across, in a field near the village of Escrick, south of York, England, in 2009. Per the BBC, experts originally believed the treasure, now called the Escrick Ring, dated back to the 10th or 11th centuries.
Now a panel of experts say the jewelry is even older and more mysterious than they thought. According to a release from the Yorkshire Museum, the Escrick Ring likely dates back to the fifth or sixth century, was manufactured elsewhere in Europe and may have belonged to a king. In addition, historians believe the sapphire was likely cut still earlier, possibly during the Roman period.
Greenhorn, a metal detector enthusiast, stumbled across the ornate piece of jewelry, adorned with a large sapphire and measuring close to 1 inch across, in a field near the village of Escrick, south of York, England, in 2009. Per the BBC, experts originally believed the treasure, now called the Escrick Ring, dated back to the 10th or 11th centuries.
Now a panel of experts say the jewelry is even older and more mysterious than they thought. According to a release from the Yorkshire Museum, the Escrick Ring likely dates back to the fifth or sixth century, was manufactured elsewhere in Europe and may have belonged to a king. In addition, historians believe the sapphire was likely cut still earlier, possibly during the Roman period.
"Nothing like it has been found in this country from the 5th or 6th century," said Natalie McCaul, curator of archaeology at the Yorkshire Museum, in the release. "Hopefully this will lead us to finding out more about the ring and possibly even who might have owned it."
 |
| The Yorkshire Museum |
One thing that isn't a mystery, though: the ring's value.
Greenhorn sold the Escrick Ring to the Yorkshire Museum for $50,000. The museum will conduct further analysis. A group of archaeologists met at the Yorkshire Museum in England last week to discuss the Escrick Ring
The ring, among the oldest pieces of sapphire jewelry ever found in the country, was thought to date from the 10th or 11th centuries -- until the group took a closer look.
The panel’s conclusion: The Escrick Ring was made in Europe, possibly France, and would have belonged to a king or leader -- not just a Bishop, as had been previously thought. It’s likely to date far earlier than previously thought as well: the 5th or 6th century, as much as 600 years earlier than archaeologists had believed.
"Hopefully this will lead us to finding out more about the ring and possibly even who might have owned it," she said.
Attendees of the workshop, which the Yorkshire Museum said included more than 30 experts from across the country, decided that the sapphire in the ring was probably cut earlier, possibly during the Roman period, but the ring itself was specially made around the sapphire. By looking at the wear on the ring it is thought that it was worn for at least 50 years before it was lost.
The gold hoop that forms the ring also looks slightly different to the main part of the ring, with suggestions being made that it was turned into a ring later, possibly from a brooch or mount.
Further research, including an X-ray analysis and samples from the gold hoop, may help to pinpoint its origin.
Sunday, March 3, 2013
An Exhaustive Guide To Metal Detecting For Beginners
Our ancestors have been using metal objects for thousands of years and metals have changed millions of lives. Metal has been used for everything from cooking pots and cutlery to metals weapons and of course jewelry. Have you ever wondered where all those objects went? It's a well known fact that the landscape is constantly changing. Where a primitive building once stood you might find a modern town block or housing estate, or better still for metal detecting enthusiasts it could be a plowed field or woodland. Imagine a hobby that gives you a glimpse at how are ancestors once lived. Metal detecting is a hobby that allows you to hold a piece of history in the palm of your hands.
There are many facets to the hobby of metal detecting. Not least of all is the chance to enjoy the open air in all weathers, regular exercise and a chance to mix with like minded hobbyists on a social level. The hobby is also open to all members of the family regardless of their age.
The thing that attracts me most to this hobby is the historical aspect. To stumble across something that someone has dropped four or five hundred years ago gives me a connection to the individuals that lived then.
The Basics:
The length of your sweep is very important in not missing the ground. If you have your detector extended too far, you will end up missing ground as you walk because your stride will carry you too far too fast. By setting the detector at a shorter height, so that it rests a foot or so away from your feet if you are standing still, then your sweep stays closer together allowing you to search more ground more accurately.
Another very important consideration is weather or not the coil of your metal detector is running parallel to the ground. If you are standing looking down the detector, often times your eyes are deceived by an optical illusion. The detector looks level but is not. A simple fix to this is to stand still and tap the detector straight down into the ground. This levels out the detector and will insure that your detector is parallel to the ground. If the detector is not parallel, you immediately lose depth and will miss some of the older targets. Proper technique is crucial to increasing your finds.
Normally it is advisable to keep the coil as close to the ground as possible. If however you are using a large coil (a coil that is 11" or larger) and the ground is mineralized than it is far better to hold your coil a little farther up off the ground. If when you hold your coil close to the ground you hear a lot of disturbance than lift the coil up about an inch and you will lose the interference which will in turn allow for more finds. You can tell that there is a lot of mineralization in the ground when the color of the ground has a reddish hue. By lifting up the coil it decreases the affect of the mineralization.
After you have located a target in the ground that you believe is going to be a good target you need to begin digging. Different types of ground are going to require different techniques for retrieving your target. If the ground is sandy than a sand scoop is a wonderful tool in aiding you in getting to the object quickly. By increasing your recovery speed, you increase the amount of targets you can dig out in a given time, which in turn increases the likely hood of discovering something of real value.
If the ground is grassy and you want to cause as least disturbance to the area as possible, for example someone's home, than use a trowel to cut a half moon around the area that the object is going to be found. Pull the sod up and to the side of the hole keeping the grass connected on one end. By doing so you are able to replace the plug and allow for the grass to regrow after retrieving your target. You don't want to leave a bunch of dead circles in someone's yard or you will get a bad reputation. If you develop a bad reputation than other leads you may have gained from the homeowner will never be known. Treat someone with respect and you will in turn reap a good reward.
Try detecting along old riverbanks. Water was crucial for the survival of man and their banks often hold much in historical value. Religion has also been very important to mankind and has been a place to gather for ages. Search for paths that would have lead to the local church. Man has been farming for thousands of years and most farmland will reveal lost metal objects. Land that is now plowed might hide old paths and roads perfect for casual losses and certainly worth searching. All you have to do is get permission from the landowner and you are off.
Metal Detectorist's have worked very hard throughout the years to establish good relationships with landowners and their communities and will find once you have established these good relationships as well that you will not lack for a good place to use your metal detector. Just knock on the door and ask. If the first farmer says no drive down the street and ask the next farmer. Most home owners will not have a problem with you on their land if you adopt the right approach to asking permission. Timing is also important to consider in asking permission. If you sense that the farmer is in the middle of doing something or seems preoccupied, don't push your luck. If he says no at first you might stop back after several months with some finds from other fields and give him an old coin as a gift. Get him interested and curious and his attitude will often change. Don't ask the farmer to detect his newly planted field. He doesn't want you to disturb his living. Wait till the crops are off the field and then ask for permission. Use some common sense, be respectful and share your enthusiasm with others. If you are first friendly, they will return your friendly attitude. After you have been allowed to search the farmer's field. Show him what you found. Show him everything. He will be very appreciative and you may gain a friend as well.
After you have gained access to the field it is a good habit to do some leg work first. Take a hike around the field and be careful to look for any signs of habitation. After practice you will soon learn how to read a field and features surrounding it. Scan the earth for glass, pottery shards, shells, metals and any other signs indicating a specific area was more heavily used than another. By putting yourself in the areas that have experienced the highest usage your percentage for finding something good increases.
Also once you get into the field, drop to a crouching position and begin to scan the field for any abnormalities. Look for discoloration's in the soil, a slight rise or depression in the earth indicating a potential dwelling place.
Before long you will have a growing collection of interesting and valuable finds. One of the attractions of the hobby is identifying your finds. There are plenty of experts and fellow detectorists who will be happy to share their knowledge about an item you may have found. The internet is a wealth of good information in discovering what you may have found. Sometimes you can also learn the potential value of the item as well.
With so much land available to search one thing is for sure. The more research that you put in to an area that you may be allowed to hunt the more you are likely to find. There are a lot of tools available to do just that. Online there are internet forums where a person can pose their questions. There are also a lot of old maps on line and in the archives which you can pour over that might indicate a potentially excellent area to hunt. Examine areal photographs and search for hidden footpaths and settlements that have vanished. Telltale signs can be found as shadows and shaded areas in the crops. Your local library is as good a place as any to start. Study history books of the area to learn about any old paths, fords or bridges that may have been used. One man I know, searches between old churches because often times there would be some sort of path connecting these two places of meeting. Aerial photographs from different times of year focusing on the same area may also help to reveal potential indications of past human use.
South facing hills near a stream would be an ideal area to build a home, fort or other dwelling. High hills were often used as a strategic area to build because the line of sight would not be impeded. If you can see for miles around, then you won't be surprised by any unwelcome visitors sneaking up on you.
When driving in your car you must develop an awareness to your surroundings. As you pass through fields, look for signs of habitation. When your walking through the field look for pottery shards and oyster shells. These are sure signs of previous habitation. Once you find the pottery and nails in the area then you go to town. Otherwise it's a crab shoot. If you go blind into the field scanning the detector aimlessly then you are trusting blind luck. But if you research and scan and look at maps you are going to put yourself right on top of an excellent site that could contain a wealth in historical items and old coins. One field looks the same as another. That is why it is so important to do the field walk first to increase the chances of your finding something of value exponentially.
Beach Hunting:
If you are lucky enough to live by a beach than you are going to have an excellent opportunity to find valuables that are being replenished by swimmers every day. Thousands of detectorists search the beaches of the country every day. Some of them actually make a living out of it. Most of the metal detectors that you buy will work on the beaches but the problem comes when you move from the dry sand to the wet sand near the water. The problem is when you move from the dry sand to the wet sand you encounter something that is called black sand mineralization. You also have the conductive element of the salt, if you live near the ocean, which will cause a detector that operates on a single frequency problems. That's why most of the beach hunters will use a multifrequency machine to get through the mineralization and the conductivity which the single frequency machines cannot really do.
Most of your finds will be items lost by modern visitors to the beaches. These items will include rings, coins and watches. The best times to search the beach are when the majority of the people who have been using the beach have left for the day. Mornings and evenings are good opportunities to search the beach because there is less people to work around. You don't want to upset anyone by detecting in between them. Leave it till later when you will have free reign of the beach and have more chance of finding what was lost during the day.
Get your tides right. There is no need to spend the gas money and time to travel down to the beach just to realize that the tide is in which will now limit the amount of beach you can comb. Wait for the tide to be out so that more beach is exposed. This is especially good because areas where people where once swimming are now exposed. The best times to hunt really depends on the location of the beach. Do some research as to when the tide will be low and when it will be high.
One draw to the hobby of metal detecting is that once you have purchased a detector there is little else that you have to buy. You might consider purchasing extra search coils for your machine. When you first enter a large field you want a head for your detector that will allow you to cover a lot of ground quickly. This will let you determine where the hot spots will be. What you are searching for is concentrations of metal that will indicate a previous settlement or dwelling area. An 11" coil will do the trick.
Which Coil is Best?
The picture above is of an 11" coil wide scan double D. If you look at the shape of the coil you will see two D's The coil winds through the head. One D transmits the signal and the other receives the transmitted signal back into the machine. This type of a head is better for using in red, highly mineralized ground locations.
On this coil the outer coil transmits the signal and the inner coil receives the signal back into the machine. This type of pattern creates a more intensified signal on the center of the coil which will actually give you a greater depth than the DD in un mineralized locations. The DD will give you a wider area, while this coil will give you a more concentrated depth on the center of the coil. This type of coil will need you to overlap the pattern of your swing to make sure to get all the targets.
If the area is very trashy then a smaller head is ideal for getting in amongst the nails and other junk. Your DD would be overwhelmed by the amount of targets in the ground and will send a lot of competing signals. By downsizing to an eliptical or other smaller head you will bring more sense to all those competing signals because you can isolate the targets.
A good tool for digging is essential for retrieving targets quickly and efficiently.
Metal Detecting is a great hobby and very addictive but like with everything else there are rules to abide to. The hobby is subject to several law enforcement laws. Every State treats the hobby a little differently. In one state, enthusiasts can go on state land without any real restrictions. The neighboring state may not let you do so at all. It is very important to read the laws which govern the state or country that you plan to be hunting in. A good idea to consider when hunting in another persons property is to have them sign a release form giving you permission to search the area. You might also include something that would indicate a sharing of any finds of significant value so there will be no dispute of treasure that may be found by you and the home owner in the future.
There is also a code of conduct that is used to protect the future of the hobby.
1: Fill in your hole. Even if you are in the middle of a field and the farmer is going to eventually plow. Fill in the hole. You don't want to leave a mess.
2: Ask permission to search property that belongs to someone else.
There are many facets to the hobby of metal detecting. Not least of all is the chance to enjoy the open air in all weathers, regular exercise and a chance to mix with like minded hobbyists on a social level. The hobby is also open to all members of the family regardless of their age.
The thing that attracts me most to this hobby is the historical aspect. To stumble across something that someone has dropped four or five hundred years ago gives me a connection to the individuals that lived then.
The Basics:
The length of your sweep is very important in not missing the ground. If you have your detector extended too far, you will end up missing ground as you walk because your stride will carry you too far too fast. By setting the detector at a shorter height, so that it rests a foot or so away from your feet if you are standing still, then your sweep stays closer together allowing you to search more ground more accurately.
Another very important consideration is weather or not the coil of your metal detector is running parallel to the ground. If you are standing looking down the detector, often times your eyes are deceived by an optical illusion. The detector looks level but is not. A simple fix to this is to stand still and tap the detector straight down into the ground. This levels out the detector and will insure that your detector is parallel to the ground. If the detector is not parallel, you immediately lose depth and will miss some of the older targets. Proper technique is crucial to increasing your finds.
Normally it is advisable to keep the coil as close to the ground as possible. If however you are using a large coil (a coil that is 11" or larger) and the ground is mineralized than it is far better to hold your coil a little farther up off the ground. If when you hold your coil close to the ground you hear a lot of disturbance than lift the coil up about an inch and you will lose the interference which will in turn allow for more finds. You can tell that there is a lot of mineralization in the ground when the color of the ground has a reddish hue. By lifting up the coil it decreases the affect of the mineralization.
After you have located a target in the ground that you believe is going to be a good target you need to begin digging. Different types of ground are going to require different techniques for retrieving your target. If the ground is sandy than a sand scoop is a wonderful tool in aiding you in getting to the object quickly. By increasing your recovery speed, you increase the amount of targets you can dig out in a given time, which in turn increases the likely hood of discovering something of real value.
If the ground is grassy and you want to cause as least disturbance to the area as possible, for example someone's home, than use a trowel to cut a half moon around the area that the object is going to be found. Pull the sod up and to the side of the hole keeping the grass connected on one end. By doing so you are able to replace the plug and allow for the grass to regrow after retrieving your target. You don't want to leave a bunch of dead circles in someone's yard or you will get a bad reputation. If you develop a bad reputation than other leads you may have gained from the homeowner will never be known. Treat someone with respect and you will in turn reap a good reward.
Try detecting along old riverbanks. Water was crucial for the survival of man and their banks often hold much in historical value. Religion has also been very important to mankind and has been a place to gather for ages. Search for paths that would have lead to the local church. Man has been farming for thousands of years and most farmland will reveal lost metal objects. Land that is now plowed might hide old paths and roads perfect for casual losses and certainly worth searching. All you have to do is get permission from the landowner and you are off.
Metal Detectorist's have worked very hard throughout the years to establish good relationships with landowners and their communities and will find once you have established these good relationships as well that you will not lack for a good place to use your metal detector. Just knock on the door and ask. If the first farmer says no drive down the street and ask the next farmer. Most home owners will not have a problem with you on their land if you adopt the right approach to asking permission. Timing is also important to consider in asking permission. If you sense that the farmer is in the middle of doing something or seems preoccupied, don't push your luck. If he says no at first you might stop back after several months with some finds from other fields and give him an old coin as a gift. Get him interested and curious and his attitude will often change. Don't ask the farmer to detect his newly planted field. He doesn't want you to disturb his living. Wait till the crops are off the field and then ask for permission. Use some common sense, be respectful and share your enthusiasm with others. If you are first friendly, they will return your friendly attitude. After you have been allowed to search the farmer's field. Show him what you found. Show him everything. He will be very appreciative and you may gain a friend as well.
After you have gained access to the field it is a good habit to do some leg work first. Take a hike around the field and be careful to look for any signs of habitation. After practice you will soon learn how to read a field and features surrounding it. Scan the earth for glass, pottery shards, shells, metals and any other signs indicating a specific area was more heavily used than another. By putting yourself in the areas that have experienced the highest usage your percentage for finding something good increases.
Also once you get into the field, drop to a crouching position and begin to scan the field for any abnormalities. Look for discoloration's in the soil, a slight rise or depression in the earth indicating a potential dwelling place.
Before long you will have a growing collection of interesting and valuable finds. One of the attractions of the hobby is identifying your finds. There are plenty of experts and fellow detectorists who will be happy to share their knowledge about an item you may have found. The internet is a wealth of good information in discovering what you may have found. Sometimes you can also learn the potential value of the item as well.
With so much land available to search one thing is for sure. The more research that you put in to an area that you may be allowed to hunt the more you are likely to find. There are a lot of tools available to do just that. Online there are internet forums where a person can pose their questions. There are also a lot of old maps on line and in the archives which you can pour over that might indicate a potentially excellent area to hunt. Examine areal photographs and search for hidden footpaths and settlements that have vanished. Telltale signs can be found as shadows and shaded areas in the crops. Your local library is as good a place as any to start. Study history books of the area to learn about any old paths, fords or bridges that may have been used. One man I know, searches between old churches because often times there would be some sort of path connecting these two places of meeting. Aerial photographs from different times of year focusing on the same area may also help to reveal potential indications of past human use.
South facing hills near a stream would be an ideal area to build a home, fort or other dwelling. High hills were often used as a strategic area to build because the line of sight would not be impeded. If you can see for miles around, then you won't be surprised by any unwelcome visitors sneaking up on you.
When driving in your car you must develop an awareness to your surroundings. As you pass through fields, look for signs of habitation. When your walking through the field look for pottery shards and oyster shells. These are sure signs of previous habitation. Once you find the pottery and nails in the area then you go to town. Otherwise it's a crab shoot. If you go blind into the field scanning the detector aimlessly then you are trusting blind luck. But if you research and scan and look at maps you are going to put yourself right on top of an excellent site that could contain a wealth in historical items and old coins. One field looks the same as another. That is why it is so important to do the field walk first to increase the chances of your finding something of value exponentially.
Beach Hunting:
If you are lucky enough to live by a beach than you are going to have an excellent opportunity to find valuables that are being replenished by swimmers every day. Thousands of detectorists search the beaches of the country every day. Some of them actually make a living out of it. Most of the metal detectors that you buy will work on the beaches but the problem comes when you move from the dry sand to the wet sand near the water. The problem is when you move from the dry sand to the wet sand you encounter something that is called black sand mineralization. You also have the conductive element of the salt, if you live near the ocean, which will cause a detector that operates on a single frequency problems. That's why most of the beach hunters will use a multifrequency machine to get through the mineralization and the conductivity which the single frequency machines cannot really do.
Most of your finds will be items lost by modern visitors to the beaches. These items will include rings, coins and watches. The best times to search the beach are when the majority of the people who have been using the beach have left for the day. Mornings and evenings are good opportunities to search the beach because there is less people to work around. You don't want to upset anyone by detecting in between them. Leave it till later when you will have free reign of the beach and have more chance of finding what was lost during the day.
Get your tides right. There is no need to spend the gas money and time to travel down to the beach just to realize that the tide is in which will now limit the amount of beach you can comb. Wait for the tide to be out so that more beach is exposed. This is especially good because areas where people where once swimming are now exposed. The best times to hunt really depends on the location of the beach. Do some research as to when the tide will be low and when it will be high.
One draw to the hobby of metal detecting is that once you have purchased a detector there is little else that you have to buy. You might consider purchasing extra search coils for your machine. When you first enter a large field you want a head for your detector that will allow you to cover a lot of ground quickly. This will let you determine where the hot spots will be. What you are searching for is concentrations of metal that will indicate a previous settlement or dwelling area. An 11" coil will do the trick.
Which Coil is Best?
The picture above is of an 11" coil wide scan double D. If you look at the shape of the coil you will see two D's The coil winds through the head. One D transmits the signal and the other receives the transmitted signal back into the machine. This type of a head is better for using in red, highly mineralized ground locations.
On this coil the outer coil transmits the signal and the inner coil receives the signal back into the machine. This type of pattern creates a more intensified signal on the center of the coil which will actually give you a greater depth than the DD in un mineralized locations. The DD will give you a wider area, while this coil will give you a more concentrated depth on the center of the coil. This type of coil will need you to overlap the pattern of your swing to make sure to get all the targets.
If the area is very trashy then a smaller head is ideal for getting in amongst the nails and other junk. Your DD would be overwhelmed by the amount of targets in the ground and will send a lot of competing signals. By downsizing to an eliptical or other smaller head you will bring more sense to all those competing signals because you can isolate the targets.
A good tool for digging is essential for retrieving targets quickly and efficiently.
Metal Detecting is a great hobby and very addictive but like with everything else there are rules to abide to. The hobby is subject to several law enforcement laws. Every State treats the hobby a little differently. In one state, enthusiasts can go on state land without any real restrictions. The neighboring state may not let you do so at all. It is very important to read the laws which govern the state or country that you plan to be hunting in. A good idea to consider when hunting in another persons property is to have them sign a release form giving you permission to search the area. You might also include something that would indicate a sharing of any finds of significant value so there will be no dispute of treasure that may be found by you and the home owner in the future.
There is also a code of conduct that is used to protect the future of the hobby.
1: Fill in your hole. Even if you are in the middle of a field and the farmer is going to eventually plow. Fill in the hole. You don't want to leave a mess.
2: Ask permission to search property that belongs to someone else.
Monday, February 11, 2013
My absolute favorite method of finding old places to hunt is by using
Google Maps. If you haven't used the free mapping software you need to
read this post. I will often scour old maps and read about the history
of an area online or in books and then try to locate these areas on
Google Maps. Before ever setting foot into the woods, parks, or abandoned homesteads. I will have scoured the areal photos on Google Maps to find
potential locations to search. Below I have included several situations
that I have found that have helped me find and locate old areas to
hunt.
(Pre 1900's Church Location)
I was scouring through some old maps near within a radius of 30 miles from my home when I came across this site. I noticed that the map that I had depicted a church that had been build on a road between the fingers of two small streams. A little farther north west there also stood another building that had been standing along this old road. After looking at my aerial photos on Google Maps, I realized that this church and home were no longer standing.
(Pre 1915's map depicting church location) (Same area with google maps, church has disappeared)
Because the older map clearly shows that the church had been built between two fingers of the river, I knew that it would be somewhat easy to pinpoint. I also noticed from the older photograph that the main river took a sharp bend to the south where these small "fingers" would have been located. After comparing the above photographs of the same location. I was able to determine the approximate location of the church. The photograph below shows the same location after zooming in quite a bit. You can see the old road depicted in both of the aerial photographs on Google Maps so I know that the road still exists. It probably is a rutty, gravel road which I will need my 4 wheel drive pickup truck to traverse. The photo below shows two locations that could be the church's location. The bottom flag, I believe, is the most accurate location based on the other geographical occurrences. However, I did notice a small opening in the trees a little northwest that could also be the remains of the church's foundation. I will need to get on the ground to really find out where the church was really located.
I really enjoy hunting old school and church sites because they have been very fruitful for me in the past. I have often found barber dimes, half dollars and other silver coins at these locations. What I also really like about these rural locations is that they are quite and can be thoroughly hunted without a lot of people wanting to stop and ask you questions. Another thing which draws me to these sites is the fact that most of these locations have just disappeared off the maps and can only be found when referencing other old maps. This would also mean that they have been untouched by other metal detector's and have the potential of yielding so very valuable old coins. I always like knowing that at any moment you could find a coin or ring that could pay for your detector many times over.
(Pre 1900's Church Location)
I was scouring through some old maps near within a radius of 30 miles from my home when I came across this site. I noticed that the map that I had depicted a church that had been build on a road between the fingers of two small streams. A little farther north west there also stood another building that had been standing along this old road. After looking at my aerial photos on Google Maps, I realized that this church and home were no longer standing.
(Pre 1915's map depicting church location) (Same area with google maps, church has disappeared)
Because the older map clearly shows that the church had been built between two fingers of the river, I knew that it would be somewhat easy to pinpoint. I also noticed from the older photograph that the main river took a sharp bend to the south where these small "fingers" would have been located. After comparing the above photographs of the same location. I was able to determine the approximate location of the church. The photograph below shows the same location after zooming in quite a bit. You can see the old road depicted in both of the aerial photographs on Google Maps so I know that the road still exists. It probably is a rutty, gravel road which I will need my 4 wheel drive pickup truck to traverse. The photo below shows two locations that could be the church's location. The bottom flag, I believe, is the most accurate location based on the other geographical occurrences. However, I did notice a small opening in the trees a little northwest that could also be the remains of the church's foundation. I will need to get on the ground to really find out where the church was really located.
I really enjoy hunting old school and church sites because they have been very fruitful for me in the past. I have often found barber dimes, half dollars and other silver coins at these locations. What I also really like about these rural locations is that they are quite and can be thoroughly hunted without a lot of people wanting to stop and ask you questions. Another thing which draws me to these sites is the fact that most of these locations have just disappeared off the maps and can only be found when referencing other old maps. This would also mean that they have been untouched by other metal detector's and have the potential of yielding so very valuable old coins. I always like knowing that at any moment you could find a coin or ring that could pay for your detector many times over.
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