Try Relic Hunting in These Two Areas

By Frank W. Pandozzi

Have you ever wanted to try relic hunting?

If so, here are two places that will provide you with loads of fun, and quite possibly some very old relics.

Before I give you the two places where you can search for relics, I'll explain what a relic is.

According to one definition, a relic is "an antiquity that has survived from the distant past."

However, the words "distant past" could mean different historical periods, by different people, for instance.

Archaeologists believe the "distant past" means one to three thousand years ago. Some historians may view the "distant past" as the years later than five hundred years ago. However, for those of us who enjoy using a metal detector, any object found within the past few hundred years could be called a relic.

Whether you are a seasoned professional, or a newcomer to metal detecting, here are two areas that should produce some exciting finds.

Try Relic Hunting in These Two Areas

Old Farms and Homesteads

Drive down any country road and you will see many old and abandoned farms and homes. Artifact hunting in these areas offers a great opportunity to locate some very interesting finds.

Many old coins, jewelry, and relics have been located around old homes and farms. Quite often, these old homesteads had more than one family that owned the property throughout the years. This means that the opportunity of locating a lost or dropped relic is definitely in your favor. In addition, if you are lucky, you could locate a cache that was buried by a previous owner.

Old Ghost Towns

I'm sure you are familiar with the term "old ghost towns."

These old, abandoned towns are located throughout the western States. Many of them are still standing. Many old relics can be found in and around the old towns. However, you need to pay attention to the laws of each State. Most of these ghost towns are located on Federal or State lands. That means they are off limits to metal detecting, and any digging. Be sure to check for any laws before you search with a detector, or decide to dig.

Did you know that ghost towns exist in the eastern States as well? You can have a great time metal detecting the old eastern ghost towns. However, these old towns do not exist like the old towns in the west. The eastern ghost towns, or homes, are just cellar holes. The cellar holes are the last remaining evidence that a home or a town ever existed. And like the ghost towns of the west, they offer a great opportunity for relic hunting.

If you can locate the privy, this is a great place to search. The privy was also used many times as a garbage pit where everything from food waste to broken pottery, and old bottles were tossed.

Be sure to always get permission when attempting to search for relics on private property.

Relic hunting with a metal detector is a great hobby, and wonderful exercise.

© Frank W. Pandozzi

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Relic hunting around old ghost towns in the east.

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