As I left my house this morning–without my winter coat–I couldn’t help but delight in the sound of birds singing in the trees. The snow is finally melting. The sun is finally shining. Spring is here, my friends. Spring is FINALLY here.

One of the greatest signs of the changing season–in a my opinion, anyway–is to see people emerging from their homes. Everyone is so eager to finally shake those winter blues and taste the fresh air–this is the perfect opportunity for hobbyists to seek permissions without knocking on doors and catching people at an inopportune time.

I witnessed this phenomenon firsthand yesterday when I had to make an emergency trip to the grocery store for baby wipes–with two kids still in diapers, the reality of having no baby wipes is downright terrifying.

So I set off over the mountain–quite literally–towards a small town called Boiling Springs.

This charming sliver of Americana was settled sometime prior to 1737 and is located in South Middleton Township. If you remember my post about public property not always being public property… South Middleton Township was my example. The ordinances in South Middleton Township prohibit digging and–in essence–metal detecting on public property.

As you can imagine, discovering these ordinances were quite disappointing since Boiling Springs has an astounding history–underground railroad, Victorian picnicking, iron industry, Appalachian Trail.

One slice of public property that has me drooling is the ‘Children’s Lake’–pictured in this antique postcard. This lake dates back to the mid-1700s when a dam was established to provide water power for iron production. Now despite countless permission attempts, this lake has been deemed off limits for two reasons: First of all, it falls under South Middleton Township public property. Secondly, the Appalachain Trail passes alongside the lake–AND as most of you know, the AT is very much off limits.

With that being said, my approach for South Middleton Township–and all the history buried just inches below the ground–has been to seek private permissions. If you remember, one of those permissions was the 1920’s spring-fed pool that I wrote about in previous posts.

There is one charming stone house that sits right on the lake. Let me tell you, I adore this house. I adore this house so much that when the For Sale sign appeared in the yard, I was calling my realtor for all the details.

So yesterday, after successfully completing my mission for baby wipes, I happened to be driving passed my dream house and saw the owner shoveling the melting snow. I knew this was my chance. This was a golden opportunity.

Before I get to that, however, I need to mention that across the lake from this stone house is the Iron Master’s Mansion–the symbol of Boiling Springs.

And yes, I have searched for the owner of this mansion with hopes of getting permission to detect–but the owner is a ghost. He buys up properties all over the country and lets them crumble and decay–I know this because I’ve found several articles written about him online. I’m afraid to say that this mansion faces a similar fate unless someone steps in.

Now, back to my story, when I stopped to ask permission for this stone house, Mike–the owner–was hesitant. Most home owners are hesitant when I approach them, but Mike seemed exceedingly hesitant. Even after I assured him that I follow the metal detecting code of ethics and my motives are strictly in pursuit of tangible history.

He then shared with me that there have been issues with metal detectorists trespassing at the mansion across the lake. Hearing this kind of made my blood boil a little. Anyone who reads my blog knows that I preach about respect. Its these single acts of disrespect gives all of us a bad rap. In a small community like Boiling Springs, word gets around.

In the end, Mike gave me permission to metal detect his property and I intend to be an ambassador for the hobby. I hope to change his opinion of metal detecting and hopefully in changing his opinion, I can change the opinion of the whole community.

Spring is finally here and I challenge everyone to take this golden opportunity to repair the bad rap. Be courteous. Be respectful. And always leave a good impression. This is the only way to right the wrongs committed by disrespectful detectorists and really start to redefine how people view our hobby.

I wish you all happy hunting!

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