How to Research Metal Detecting Sites and Find Better Locations

Metal detecting is a blend of history (where to find stuff), science (quality of the machine), skills (how well you know the nuances of your machine), and luck (the gods of the universe do allow luck). While the thrill of discovery is a significant allure, the key to consistent success lies in diligent and thorough research. Understanding the historical context of an area can significantly increase the likelihood of uncovering cool relics, coins, and other metal detecting treasures.. Here are several reasons why research is a great key to your metal detecting adventures:

Historical Maps and Records for Metal Detecting Research

Researching the history of a general or even specific location helps identify sites where human activity was present, when these activities took place, and for how long those occurred thus increasing the chances of finding relics, coins and jewelry left behind by history’s actors. 

There are many tools to assist with this particular aspect. Ranging from Survey (Plat) maps, which can and do show the original owner of any given piece of land, to neighborhoods and what I call gatekeepers that can tell you about the neighborhood that they’re in (plus they can also open up doors for you or gates to allow you to metal detect property nearby).

You can also use Sanborn fire maps, which are maps that were done for the insurance industry 1867 until approximately 1961 for making new maps.  Periodically they were done within any town or city, every few years and they tell quite a bit of detail about a house or building or where things were. You can even get down to where outhouse was.  The maps operated with a direction compass orientation and shows how the structures oriented. They also show what Type of  the material of a building is.  Many different aspects are given and these maps are to scale Generally with one inch equaling 50 feet.  They are great for determining early layouts of towns and cities. 

You can use topographical maps, which also show quite a bit of detail, and they are available going back into ancient American history, back to the 1800s, sometimes a little bit before, but the topo map are great because they also provide quite a bit of detail.

An additional note on this part is that you’re able to do, with very little effort, overlays of topographical maps onto Google Earth.  This in turn will allow you to put place markers in game, the latitude and longitude. Of any given site or property.

Finally. I use quite a bit of the tax appraisal districts here in my area of Texas where I live, and I’ll tell you that one of the cool things with using tax appraisal districts is once you get onto the appraisal district. Website. Almost all of them will allow you to look up the owner of a given piece of property, uh, by owner name. And when that occurs, one of the tools that I use is a truncated version of a given name. For instance, if I wanted to see all the property that a city or a town owned, or a county or the state when I’m within a county appraisal district, I will use the term “of” in the owner field.  For example  if I was looking for the city of Weatherford, Texas, I would go to their Tax Appraisal District website and do an owner search using  the term “ City of Weatherford” or “Town of Brock” or “County of Parker OR Parker County”  The results will give you properties owned by entities thus named.  Note that you can also use the term “City of” that will return all of the properties of all of the cities…or counties if you use that, etc.  So lets do that:

Below you will see the results of using City of.

The same applies to Churches.  “First Baptist”  “First Methodist” or “Catholic Church” or “Baptist Church”

How to Research Whether Metal Detecting Is Legal

Understanding property laws and obtaining permissions to search on private land ensures that metal detecting is conducted legally and ethically.

If a town is large enough or in the case of most cities they will likely have a city or town attorneys office and these people can tell you if it is legal or not for you to metal detect. On city on property, provided that you take care of it and don’t make a big mess.

Secondly, if they’re not present in a town, the normal keeper of the information as it relates to the laws that would affect us as metal detectorists is the city secretary and she’s always the person that you can go to and if she is not the keeper of the laws, then she will know who is.

 I can tell you what I do when looking for this information.  A good approach for me is I go to a city secretary’s office, for instance, and I introduce myself and I tell them I’m retired and I metal detect as a hobby, and I want to find out if they had any laws against metal detecting in public parks that are owned by the city and in the 50 years I’ve metal detected, I’ve only had one city that told me yes. And they did have laws against it and you couldn’t do that.

Now over time that’s changing unfortunately, but it is what it is. So when I talk to these people, I also take that opportunity and ask them if they know of any, uh, buried treasures or any bandits that were in the area of operating Stagecoach robberies, bank robberies, things of that nature or anybody that died suddenly that they’re aware of that may have had a bunch of money on their property, and the rumor was that they had buried their money.   If these people have lived there a long time, the secretaries, then they may very well be that gatekeeper I spoke of. You can also ask them, do you know somebody that has been here for a few years, I might be able to talk to that person and  you want to go to and you want to talk to them about some of the history of the place and then ask them while you’re at it who else  you might talk to  to ask permission to metal detect. If these folks have been there a while ask if you can detect their property right then. I personally think it’s a good thing to ask permission to metal detect the front yard, and if you are able to have a decent relationship with this person even though it’s a new relationship, you may consider asking permission to metal detect their backyard as well. But it has been my experience that those people that have been there for a long time know a lot of folks and a lot of information that will help us in terms of our goal to find places to metal detect. For instance, they may actually know where people were baptized in the 1800s. They might know where the original school was, where was the first park that they used to play when they were growing up. Lots of questions you can ask those people. And it may surprise you how easy it still is to  get answers in quickly small towns.

I also make it a personal practice to have business cards that have my name and my address and my phone number when I’m in a small towns I use them especially. After all, I’m a stranger and so are you. And you can bet your bottom dollar that you’re gonna have Miss Mary noseybody that sees you metal detecting in somebody’s front yard or a park or wherever it is that you are is going to call the Police Department. Hey police department.  There’s a stranger out here digging up the park.  Hundreds and hundreds of times I have had the police get called on me.  Or the local sheriff. 

I have found over the years that it is in my best interest and therefore I would suggest that it is also in your best interest to make a visit to a small town Police Department and go in. There will be a desk Sergeant or captain or Lieutenant that’s in charge of that day where you are there. If you tell them who you are and what you’re doing and that you’ve already checked with the city secretary or the city attorney and have been told that there are no city statutes against metal detecting. Also,  tell them you don’t tear things up, you don’t bother anybody and you always detect with permission.  ALSO, be sure and describe the extraction of an item by using the word “CUT”.  Never use the word DIG, or MAKE A HOLE.  , And then offer your drivers license to them to copy.   I also offer my retired Fort Worth fire department ID because it lends some credibility and because everyone loves firemen. 

What you’ve done in doing this kind of thing is you’ve one given those police officers a copy of your drivers license and  if something were to go haywire or sideways, they know who to get hold of to get clarity on what happened. But also what I have found is by doing this when I’m out there and  Miss Noseybody calls in the Police Department and says, hey, there’s a strange man hunting and digging up in the park. I’m not sure who he is or what he’s doing. And they said, ohh, yes, Miss Nosebody, you know what?  We’ve already talked to that gentleman and he’s OK. But thank you so much for calling in and if there’s anything that happens, well then you feel free to call back and we’ll investigate it.

What that does, and especially in a small town, is two additional things for you. One is that you save whoever it is on duty there from having to stop what they’re doing and call one of their officers who might be having a cup of coffee and Donuts or lunch or whatever and then proceeding to the park because you and your actions have disrupted their day and they have to go to work?  You prevented that very action by being proactive and sharing your information with the Desk Sergeant.

But the other thing you’ve done is you’ve created an Avenue for the Police Department there to both call you with any questions if they ever have a need of metal detecting services, but also they build good rapport with the citizens that think that they’re on top of it and occasionally you’ll find some kind of lead or tip from that Police Department that’ll serve you metal detecting out there and you might find something really valuable.  Now, back to the researching thing.

How Property Records Can Reveal Detecting Locations

By narrowing down potential search areas, you save time and effort, making your metal detecting more efficient.

By incorporating the things that we’ve talked about above, it will greatly narrow down potential search areas for you and there are still other ways that you can go about that. We will discuss those ways next.

Forms of Research

Interviewing Local Residents and Historians

Engaging with people who have lived in or studied the area can yield valuable insights. Here’s how to go about it:

• Identify Key Citizens: Local historians, long-time residents, and members of historical societies are often treasure troves of information.
• Prepare Questions: Craft questions that elicit detailed responses:
  • Can you tell me about any historically significant events or locations in this area?
  • Do you know of any old homesteads, schools, or businesses that used to be here?
  • Are there any local legends or stories about hidden treasures or lost items?
  • Have there been any major changes in the landscape over the years?
  • Are there any areas where older generations used to gather for picnics, fairs, or markets?
• Where to Find Informants: Visit local libraries, historical societies, community centers, and town meetings. Attend local festivals or fairs where older residents might congregate.

Researching Courthouse, Library and Archive Records

Official records can provide a wealth of information about an area’s history and ownership. Here’s how to access and utilize these records:

• Types of Records: Look for land deeds, property maps, tax records, probate records, and historical plats.
• Courthouse Research: Visit the local courthouse and ask the clerk for access to historical records. Be specific about the time periods and types of documents you are interested in. Most courthouses have archives or historical record sections that contain property sales and property records in general.
• Libraries and Archives: Many local libraries have archives that include old newspapers, maps, and personal letters. University libraries often have special collections related to local history. Most small towns that have a library will have a book or two written by a local family member in that town or a committee celebrating an anniversary of the founding or other important event.

Online Resources for Metal Detecting Research

The internet is a vast resource for historical research. Some key online sources include:

• Historical Map Collections: Websites like the Library of Congress, USGS Historical Topographic Map Explorer, and David Rumsey Map Collection.
• Genealogical Sites: Ancestry.com, FamilySearch.org, and other genealogical databases can offer insights into past land ownership and significant local events.
• Forums and Social Media: Join metal detecting and local history forums, Facebook groups, and Reddit communities to exchange information and get tips from fellow enthusiasts.

Historical Documents and Books

Books, journals, and other historical documents often contain detailed accounts of an area’s past. Look for:

• Local Histories: Many towns have had books written about their histories by local folks. These can often be found in local bookstores, libraries, or historical societies.
• Academic Publications: University presses often publish detailed studies on specific regions, which can include archaeological surveys and historical analyses.

Getting Help at Institutions

When visiting courthouses, libraries, or archives, approach the staff for assistance:

• Be Specific: Clearly articulate what you are looking for. For example, “I’m researching the history of land ownership in this area from 1850 to 1900.”
• Ask for Guidance: Request help in navigating their systems. Many institutions have finding aids or staff who can help locate specific documents.
• Utilize Reference Librarians: Librarians are trained to assist with research and can often point you toward valuable resources you might have overlooked.

As you continue with the journey of metal detecting and research. I’d like to offer one final piece of advice related to this.

And that is this:   For whatever state you live in. Get yourself a 3-ring paper notebook, the kind with the fold-over tabs that we used in school. And write a county’s name on it that you go to.  And do this for every county. In the state. Or province or parish. By doing this. You can accumulate a vast amount of knowledge through time. And when you go to that county, you can see places you’ve been and places to go, and you can accumulate that information. You can keep names and phone numbers and successes and failures. As well. Although this is a little bit old school, it’s still really functional. I use my county files all the time. If I’m taking a road trip for a day or two, I see what county I’m gonna be in and I pull that folder out and that way I have contacts to get hold of. Might be metal detecting people, could be just old timers in that county and I’ll just touch base with them and ask them if anything new is going on. Get them to go metal detect with me or otherwise interact with them. And add to my knowledge of that county. It’s a great way to do it.

Conclusion

Research is a cornerstone of successful metal detecting. By combining information from interviews, official records, online resources, and historical documents, you can build a comprehensive understanding of your targeted area. This methodical approach not only increases your chances of finding valuable artifacts but also enriches your appreciation of the history you uncover. Whether you are a seasoned detectorist or a novice, embracing the research process will enhance your metal detecting endeavors.