Last Spring, my uncle came to me with a question: "Hey, are those old insulators worth anything?" To which I responded to the affirmative. He then proceeded to tell me that in the 1960s, he was responsible for taking down all the radial wave street lamps in nearby Mount Holly Springs, PA. Rather than throw them in the dumpster like most would, my uncle brought them home and piled them in his back woods for target practice. Now, fast forward to 2014. I find myself traipsing through his backyard, hauling these things out in a wheelbarrow and loading them into the back of my Subaru. These mammoth...

Despite what you would gather from reading my blog posts, I have only been metal detecting for a short while. Before that, you could find me scrounging around in old bottle dumps and hunting yard-sales for cheap treasures that struck my fancy. I am a treasure hunter at heart and I suppose that taking up a metal detector was just the next logical step. I look at metal detecting as my way of connecting with the past. I think everyone has a different motive for metal detecting. Some metal detect to keep busy, others to stay active, a handful to get rich, and the rest to discover something that...

I wanted to share a bit about my trip to the historical society on Wednesday. My goal was to uncover more information on the Wright House--my new underground railroad permission--as well as more information about Latimore Township. I wanted to share an excerpt with you from one of my readings at the historical society: In the early part of harvest, 1851, four slaves came to William Wright's house from Maryland. They were in a state of semi-nudity, their clothing being nearly all torn off and handing in ratters. At this hospitable home they were furnished with clothing and shoes. Learning that...

Let's face it, metal detecting gets a bad rap. The more I pursue the hobby, the more I recognize this perception that people have of metal detecting. Yesterday, I took a trip to the historical society--more on that later. As I was speaking with one of the woman who volunteers there, I really got the impression that metal detecting was a sore subject. She had this vision of someone leaving open craters in the ground and stealing historically significant objects from public view. We talked at length and I really hope that I was able to change her perception of metal detecting. Everyone has their...

Today, I told my son a story today about the good guys and the bad guys. The bad guys chased the good guys to a house where they hid in the walls and the attic and the basement. When the bad guys came, they looked everywhere for the good guys, but they played hide-and-seek so well that the bad guys couldn't find them anywhere. So the bad guys left and the good guys went to hide in another house and one day lived happily ever after. I introduce you to the Wright House--this picture is from six years ago but I think you get the gist. This sad looking stack of bricks may not look like much,...

The metal detecting hobby has introduced me to so many fascinating people. A few weeks ago, I shared a blog post on one of the many metal detecting groups on Facebook. Shortly thereafter, my laptop started buzzing with notifications. The messages were from a Howard Hewitt. Some of you may recognize his name from the relic recovery circuit or even from Travel Channel's DigFellas. I'll admit. Up until this point, I'd never heard of Howard Hewitt or DigFellas. There was just something about the way that other group members responded to his comments that gave me the inclination to look...

I am at the local hole-in-the-wall testing a theory on permissions. I was kind of hoping that if I struck up a conversation about metal detecting that it would blossom into this epic discussion and earn me some permissions. Not so much. I am sitting at an empty bar with my laptop writing this post. My chosen topic of the day is 'mentors in metal detecting'. I can not stress my appreciation for my mentors. Everything I've learned and written about here in my blog has been courtesy of my mentors. A lot of people are under the impression that this is an independent and antisocial hobby....

I have been tossing around this idea of developing a one-pager to leave with potential permissions. Do any of you have something that you have developed? I thought of creating a business card, but what can a business card really tell you about a person who wants permission to dig up your property? (Because--essentially--that is what we are all asking for.) I was doing some research on the metal detecting code of ethics--which I preach about on a regular basis. I happened upon this version by White's Electronics: Be a good ambassador for other detectorists by following this code of ethics for respecting...

In some cases, you will find that paying your taxes does not give you the right to metal detect in township parks, schools, or sidewalk strips. A dog can take a dump in any of these places. A kid can eat dirt in any of these places. A hipster can play his guitar and a homeless man can nap in any of these places. Do they pay taxes? Probably not. But they have these rights because you pay your taxes. There is a township near me called South Middleton Township. This township has all the ingredients for a perfect detecting experience. I've touched on it before, but in case you forgot--underground...

I love old homes. I love everything about them. I love the stone-work, the wood-work, the brick-work, the shutters, the doors, the door-knobs, the windows, the window-panes, the fancy molding, the spindles on the porches. What more can I say? I absolutely love old homes. Not to mention, I have this horrible habit of purchasing architectural elements from old homes. It must be some sort of compulsion, because I just can't help myself. In my garage at this very moment, I have four old doors, three old chandeliers, a handful of glass doorknobs, some swirly-pane windows... As a matter of fact,...